


Tony Stark and the Cursed Child

by Flurrbee



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Airplane Crashes, Angst, Curses, Discussion of Abortion, Guilty Tony Stark, Irondad (eventually), Jealous Tony Stark, Kid Peter Parker, Past Sexual Abuse, Pregnancy, Protective Ben Parker, Protective May Parker (Spider-Man), Stark Expo, Teen Peter Parker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:15:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 26,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26957935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flurrbee/pseuds/Flurrbee
Summary: Tony Stark always knew who Peter Parker was. For a while, Tony hated that the kid even existed. A careless utterance made in a moment of jealousy leads Tony to a lifetime of guilty feelings. But Tony’s a scientist and knows curses aren’t real, right?A different take on Tony and Peter’s relationship through the years.Tags to be updated as chapters are added.
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Jarvis (Iron Man movies) & Tony Stark, Mary Parker & Richard Parker & Tony Stark, Mary Parker/Richard Parker, May Parker & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 91
Kudos: 361





	1. The Curse

**Author's Note:**

> Tony is very much a jerk in his chapter, which takes place pre-Iron Man while he is still a self-centered playboy. I promise he gets better in subsequent chapters, but it might take a while.

It was another fancy reception at another scientific conference. For the most part, Tony didn’t really mind these things, despite how much he complained about them to Pepper and Rhodey. He actually enjoyed the exchange of scientific ideas, the presentations, the indepth discussions and debates. And of course, he thrived on showing off his own genius. 

The conferences also gave him opportunities for new conquests. Smart is sexy, after all. And these conferences had no shortage of highly intelligent women. Few of them would turn down the chance to be with Tony Stark. 

Mary Fitzpatrick was one of the few. 

Mary was brilliant, of course. She was a leading researcher in her field and highly respected. She was also beautiful. Her wavy brown hair shone in the light and her green eyes sparkled. On top of that, she was witty, sharing Tony’s own snarky sense of humor. 

All of that made her very desirable. Tony thought she would be perfect. At least for a night, or maybe even a couple of weeks. He had no desire for a long term relationship with anyone, but Mary would definitely be fun for a while. 

He had known Mary for years, running into her at conferences like this one and other scientific events. They often chatted. Sometimes they discussed her work in biochemistry or his latest developments in artificial intelligence. Frequently they flirted. But to Tony’s immense frustration, it never went anywhere. Tony would make advances and Mary would turn him down. It only made him lust after her all the more. 

Mary was known to be in an on-again off-again relationship with Richard Parker. Tony had known Richard for years as well. He honestly didn’t know what Mary saw in that guy. 

Sure, Richard Parker was also highly respected in his field. He had made quite a name for himself in cutting-edge genetics research. He was a humble man with a down to earth attitude. He was generous to a fault, despite not being wealthy; he would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it more than he did. He was the kind of guy who got along with everyone, who everybody liked. Not that Richard ever cared what other people thought of him. 

To make things even worse, Richard wasn’t impressed by Tony’s considerable wealth or fame. He didn’t care about fancy clothes or trips or the number of homes Tony owned. Richard enjoyed the simple things in life. He didn’t hang on Tony’s every word or automatically defer to Tony when they disagreed. Instead, Richard had the audacity to act like they were equals. 

Tony hated him. He refused to believe that someone like Richard Parker could win over a woman that Tony couldn’t. He refused to admit he was jealous of a clearly lesser man. 

However, the latest rumor going around was that Mary and Richard were currently off-again. If that was true, Tony felt sure that this would be the night he finally succeeded in getting Mary into bed with him. 

He scanned the room looking for Mary and found her by the bar. She looked lovely in a flowing red dress. He quickly met up with her. Tony grabbed a drink and offered to get her one as well. 

“No thanks, I’m good,” Mary replied as she sipped a ginger ale. It wasn’t her usual beverage of choice, but Tony didn’t think anything of it. 

They caught up on things since the last time they had seen each other. They talked about each of their work, about Tony’s latest trip to Europe, about current affairs. Then they progressed to gossiping about the other attendees. They traded snarky comments about their colleagues, and laughed together. Tony threw in some dirty jokes, much to Mary’s amusement. 

Tony was feeling very confident. 

“Spend the night with me,” he said, all charm. “I’ll make sure you don’t regret it.”

“I don’t want to spend the night with you,” Mary replied. She was clearly amused rather than offended by the proposition. 

“Alright, then spend a week with me. We’ll go to a tropical island. I know the perfect beach, completely private. You won’t even need your bikini,” He said seductively. 

Mary chuckled as she shook her head. “How many times do I have to tell you I’m not interested?”

Before Tony could reply, Mary added, “Besides, I’m married now.”

That took Tony by surprise. “Married? To whom? Don’t tell me you married Richard Parker.”

“I married Richard Parker,” she deadpanned. 

“I said don’t tell me! Since when?” Tony demanded. 

Mary smiled mischievously. “Since this.” She smoothed her flared skirt over her stomach, revealing a small baby bump. 

Tony’s eyes went wide. “You’re pregnant? And it’s Richard’s?”

“Yes, and of course it’s Richard’s!” Mary chuckled at his shocked expression. 

“And you did this on purpose?” He gestured toward her abdomen. 

“The baby? Well no, but these things happen sometimes. It made us realize that it was time we settled down. You know how it is,” Mary said lightly. 

“I certainly do not know how it is,” Tony countered. After all he prided himself on his clear record in that area. 

Despite this unfortunate news, he stubbornly refused to completely give up on the prospect of spending the night with Mary Fitzpatrick. 

After a moment he said, “You could still get rid of it, you know.”

Mary was taken aback. “Are you suggesting an abortion?”

Tony smiled at her. “It’s a simple procedure and then you could run away with me.”

Somehow, Mary wasn’t even surprised by his outrageousness. “You never give up, do you? I don’t want to get rid of it.” She rubbed the small bump lovingly. “And Richard is good for me.”

“I thought I’d find the two of you together. Tony, are you trying to steal my wife?” Richard Parker said as he joined them. His voice was light-hearted and without any anger. 

Tony regarded the other man. Like usual, Richard was wearing a wrinkled suit and a nerdy science-themed tie. His curly brown hair needed a trim and his alert brown eyes took in everything before settling on Tony. 

“Hello, Richard. Mary was just telling me your good news,” Tony said a little snidely. 

“Yes, we’re very happy,” Richard remarked sincerely. 

“Tony was just telling me how happy he is for us,” Mary said, her voice overly sweet. 

“Yeah. I’m thrilled for you,” Tony said sarcastically. 

“We just found out it’s a boy. We’re going to call him Peter, after Mary’s grandfather,” Richard said with a proud smile. 

“Peter Parker?” Tony scoffed, popping the P’s. He thought the name sounded ridiculous. “Gotta love the alliteration. What’s the middle name? Wait, let me guess… Patrick? ...Presley? ...How about Pubert?” 

Mary glared at him, truly annoyed with the billionaire for the first time that evening. 

But Richard just laughed good-naturedly. “Middle name’s Benjamin, after my brother.” 

“Come on, Richard,” Mary said to her husband. “I’m getting tired and I’m sure Tony Stark has better things to do than talk about baby names.”

“Of course, my dear,” Richard replied. “Good night, Tony. As always, it was good to see you.”

Tony waved noncommittally then gestured for the bartender to bring him another drink. 

He watched as the couple walked away. Richard wrapped his arm around Mary and whispered something in her ear. Her warm laugh sounded like music to Tony’s ear. Mary and Richard really were happy together. Damn them. 

Now Tony had no shot at all of bedding Mary. All because of that fucking baby. 

He scowled. “Peter Benjamin Parker. You damned brat. I hope you have a miserable life,” Tony muttered just before he threw back his drink. 

A small part of his brain warned him that it was not a good idea to curse a child, especially one who wasn’t even born yet. But he silenced that part of his brain with another cocktail. 


	2. The Crash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> News of a tragic accident hits Tony hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place five or six years after the previous one. It’s still pre-Iron Man. Tony’s still pretty self-centered at this time.
> 
> Throughout this story I’m going to try to stick with the MCU timeline as best I can. But the timing of events isn’t always clear and sometimes the MCU continuity is messy. So I’m going to just make my best guess.

“Tony, are you planning on attending the scientific conference in London next week?” Pepper asked as she entered the workshop. 

He looked up from the repair he was performing on DUM-E. “I forgot all about that. I don’t know. Am I scheduled to give a speech?”

Pepper looked at her notes. “No.”

“Then why would I be going?”

“Well, apparently you told several of the attendees from New York that they could take a Stark Industries plane to London,” she sounded a little exasperated. 

“Uhm… did I?” Tony asked in surprise. “Was I sober when I said that?”

“If I had to guess, I would say no,” Pepper deadpanned. 

“That’s probably a safe guess,” Tony admitted. “The plane’s here in LA,” he pointed out. 

“I assume that you were going to fly from here to New York and pick up the other attendees there. The plane would need to refuel anyway.”

“Sure, that makes sense,” he agreed. “What was your question again?”

“Are you going to the conference?” Pepper repeated the question slowly, as through talking to a child. 

“Who’s attending from New York? Who am I going to be stuck on a plane with for six hours?”

Pepper set the page with the list down in front of him. Tony picked it up and started scanning the names. He was familiar with all the people listed, commenting as he went along. 

“He’s not bad… he’s good… she’s very good… he’s okay as long as I’m not sitting by him, but it’s my plane, I can sit anywhere I want, right?... oh, she’s a blast…”

Then his eyes fell on two names: Richard Parker and Mary Fitzpatrick-Parker. 

Tony set the list down. “No,” he said suddenly. 

“No, you’re not going?” Pepper asked, startled. 

“No, I’m not going.” Tony said firmly. 

He had no desire to be trapped on a plane with Mary and Richard. For the most part, he had managed to avoid them the past few years. He still ran into them at events, but their encounters were very brief and he preferred to keep it that way. 

“Should I cancel the plane, since you’re not going?” Pepper asked. 

It would be a huge inconvenience to those attending if they had to schedule flights at the last minute. Tony knew he could be petty, but he wasn’t that petty. 

“No. Send the plane to New York. They can take it to London. I won’t need it next week. And if I do, I’ve got others.” He turned his attention back to DUM-E. 

Pepper nodded and wrote something in her notes before leaving the workshop. 

———————

A week later Tony was in the office working on the design for the latest SI weapons system. Pepper ran in shouting for him. 

“Tony! Tony, turn on the news!” 

“What’s going on?” he asked while Pepper grabbed the remote control and turned on the TV. 

“Tony… the plane…” was all Pepper could gasp out. 

The television showed emergency vehicles surrounding a fiery plane crash on an otherwise empty beach. 

“...This is breaking news… We are live on the scene. A Stark Industries plane has crashed on Jones Beach shortly after taking off from New York’s JFK airport. Emergency responders are working to put out the flames. We do not know if Stark Industries CEO Tony Stark was onboard or not. We do not know if there are any survivors of the crash…”

“Tony, oh my god!” Pepper exclaimed. 

Tony was stunned by the images. The scene was horrific. 

His phone started ringing. He answered it without looking at the caller ID. 

“Tony! Thank god!” Obadiah Stane’s voice came over the speaker. “Are you alright? Where are you?”

“I’m fine. I’m fine,” Tony assured him. “I’m here at the office. I wasn’t on the plane.”

“That’s a relief. I was so worried when I heard the news,” Obadiah spoke quickly. “Look, the press is going nuts. We’re going to have to release a statement that you’re alive…”

“Yeah, yeah. Can you take care of the PR? Thanks.” he quickly ended the call. 

Tony’s eyes were still glued to the coverage on the TV. He was completely shocked by what had happened. 

The phone rang again immediately. This time it was Rhodey, who was nearly in tears. Tony reassured his best friend that he was in fact alive and well in Los Angeles. Then the billionaire rushed him off the phone with a promise to talk to him later. 

Happy was next. Another worried call, another joyous relief that Tony was alright. 

After that he stopped answering his phone. He had already talked to everyone who mattered to him. Pepper took one call after another, apparently answering questions from the SI corporate officers and Board of Directors. 

As she hung up from one call, she said “Tony, we have to go. We need to take care of the press, and the Board, and…”

“Yeah, can you handle all that for now? I’ll be out in a little bit…” Tony asked distractedly. 

“Yes, of course,” she started to walk away, then turned back suddenly. “My god, Tony… if you had been on that plane…” 

He closed his eyes for a moment. “I know…”

Pepper seemed about to say something else, when her phone rang again. She answered it as she exited Tony’s office. 

Tony knew he should be thinking about the people aboard the plane - if they were alright or if they were even alive. He should be looking into what caused the crash. He should be pulling the plane's maintenance logs, the pilot’s record, the weather report, and anything else that could have been a factor. 

And he would do all that later. But at the moment all he could think about was how relieved he was that he hadn’t been on that plane.

The voice of the news announcer broke through his thoughts. “We now have confirmation that there are no survivors of the crash. The passengers were prominent scientists heading to a conference in London. We know that Tony Stark was not on the plane. He is currently at the Stark Industries headquarters in Los Angeles and extends his condolences to the families of those involved. We are told that Stark Industries will make a formal statement later today.”

The image on the broadcast changed, as the news channel put up pictures of those who died in the crash. Tony recognized the pilot, who had flown his private planes many times. Then there were the photographs of the scientists. They weren’t really his friends, but they were colleagues, acquaintances, his peers in the scientific community. Many of them were people he liked and admired. He only half-listened as the reporter read their names, until she got to the end of the list. 

“...Richard Parker and Mary Fitzpatrick-Parker. It should be noted that the Parkers were married and leave behind a five-year old son…” 

Tony grabbed the remote and turned off the television. 

He stood up, straightened his tie, and put on his sunglasses. Then he headed out of the office and confidently strode to the boardroom. 

Later that afternoon Tony held a full press conference. He expressed his admiration and respect for those whose lives had been lost. He extended SI’s deepest sympathies to their families. He vowed to investigate the cause of the crash. He appeared sincere, somber, and professional. He stuck to the cue cards Pepper had written for him. 

Late that night he was home and very inebriated. Rhodey had come over to check on him and the two had gone through several bottles of alcohol. 

“It’s my fault. The crash is all my fault,” Tony stated drunkenly. 

“No, man… It’s not your fault. It was your plane… but that doesn’t make it your fault,” Rhodey, equally drunk, tried to reassure his friend. 

“No you don’t understand… There was this kid… this baby. Five or six years ago… I called him a damned brat and said I hope he has a miserable life.” Tony tried to explain. 

Rhodey was confused. “What baby? Whose baby?”

Tony pointed to the TV, despite the fact it was now off. They had watched the news coverage earlier in the evening. 

“The damned Parkers and their damned brat,” Tony spat out. “I hate all of them.” 

“You liked Mary,” Rhodey pointed out. 

“Yeah, but then she chose Richard over me and they had the damned brat. So I cursed him.”

“Wait… What? What do you mean you cursed him?” Rhodey asked. 

“I told you, I said that I hope he has a miserable life. And I meant it… That’s what caused the crash. I cursed him and now I made him an orphan.” Tony poured another drink. 

Rhodey shook his head. “There’s no such thing as curses. You know that. You’re a genius scientist.”

Tony swirled the glass in his hand, watched the liquid slosh around. “You remember my Nonna?” 

Rhodey grinned. “Yeah... sweet, crazy old lady from Italy. She always made those amazing cookies for us.”

“When I was a kid she told me about curses. That you can put a curse on someone if you wish bad things for them out loud and mean it in your heart. She told me stories about people from her village who had been cursed.” His voice sounded guilty, ashamed. 

Rhodey considered. “That’s just superstition.”

Tony nodded. “But what if it’s not?”

Rhodey shrugged. “If it’s not… I don’t know. The damned brat’s already an orphan. What more can go wrong?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really liked the idea of making it a Stark Industries plane that crashed. That can feed Tony’s guilt conscience for years to come.
> 
> Something I realized after I wrote this chapter: when Happy took Peter to Germany - Peter’s first plane trip ever - it was in the plane that was a replacement for the one that killed his parents.


	3. The Stark Expo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events of the Stark Expo leave Tony with conflicting feelings about Peter Parker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place in the Iron Man 2 timeframe. Tony’s been through some stuff by now and his attitude is starting to slowly change.

From the sky Tony could see the Hammer drones attacking the crowd. People ran away frantically, as explosions erupted around them. Tony couldn’t believe this was happening. The Stark Expo was supposed to highlight successes, advancements in technology, and ways to make the world safer. It wasn’t that long ago that he landed on that stage in triumph, the hero surrounded by dancing girls and an adoring crowd. Now, it was all ending in ruin. 

Just at the edge of his field of vision, Tony caught sight of a small figure in the crowd. While everyone else ran in terror, one lone individual was standing his ground, not advancing toward the Hammer drones, but not running from them either. Tony focused on the figure and suddenly realized it was just a child, a young boy wearing an Iron Man mask. The kid was either incredibly stupid or incredibly brave, or both. 

Tony could see one of the drones zero in on Brave Kid and target him. Tony pushed the suit to go faster, urged JARVIS to give him all the speed he could. He couldn’t bear the idea of the child getting hurt at his Expo, under his watch. 

The metal monster towered over Brave Kid. The child raised one hand slowly. In addition to the Iron Man mask, he had a toy hand repulsor. The drone activated its weapon, the gun on its shoulder moved into firing position. Child and machine faced off. 

Tony touched down a moment too late. The Hammer drone fired, blasting Brave Kid directly in the chest and knocking him down. 

Tony fired his repulsor at the drone and destroyed it. He quickly knelt down beside Brave Kid. The boy laid there lifeless, with a hole in his chest. 

“Kid, no… no,” Tony begged. But it was no use. Brave Kid was dead and it was Tony’s fault. “I’m sorry,” he choked out. 

Tony reached out to remove the toy Iron Man mask. He needed to know who Brave Kid was. Just as his fingers brushed the edge of the mask…

...Tony woke with a start, covered in sweat. 

“Not again,” Tony gasped. He sat up in the bed and ran a hand over his face. He had been having the same dream a few times a week ever since that night at the Stark Expo. 

“Another nightmare?” Pepper asked as she rolled over to face him. She wasn’t fully awake. 

“Yeah,” he said softly. 

“Do ya wanna talk about it?” She asked blearily. 

“I’m fine. Go back to sleep.” He leaned over and kissed her gently. There was no sense in them both being up. 

Pepper made a small humming sound and closed her eyes. She was asleep again immediately. 

Tony knew he wasn’t going to be able to sleep anymore that night. So he got up and changed into a tee shirt and jeans. Then he made some coffee and headed to his workshop. Might as well be productive. 

He was fixing the wiring on the latest Iron Man suit when Rhodey let himself into the workshop. 

“Time for a break, man. I brought some lunch,” Rhodey said as he set a paper bag on the work table. 

“Kinda early for lunch, isn’t it?” Tony replied without looking up. 

“It’s after one in the afternoon. Pepper said you’ve been down here since early this morning. You need to take a break and eat.”

Tony finally looked up, surprised that so much time had passed. He had been completely wrapped up in his work. He let Rhodey lead him over to the couch and took the sandwich his friend handed him. 

They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Tony asked, “So what brings you here?”

“Pepper said you haven’t been sleeping. You’ve been having nightmares?” 

Tony sighed. He didn’t really want to talk about it, but experience showed that his best friend would get it out of him eventually. 

“You remember that night at the Stark Expo? The night we fought the Hammer drones?” 

“Oh, yeah. I’m not likely to forget that anytime soon,” Rhodey deadpanned. 

Tony nodded. “There was this kid. I saved him, just in time. But I keep having these dreams where I don’t and he gets killed. I can’t get this kid out of my head and I don’t know why.”

“What happened? What do you mean you saved him?” Rhodey asked. 

Tony pulled up a holographic screen. “JARVIS, show him the footage.”

Tony had watched the replay countless times. He knew it by heart. Still, he couldn’t stop himself from watching it again. 

The scene unfolded just like in his nightmare. The child in the Iron Man mask faced down a Hammer drone, even attempted to fight it off with a toy repulsor. Unlike the dream, Tony landed behind the kid just before the drone could fire and destroyed it. He quickly said “Nice work, kid” before immediately taking off again. 

“Wow,” Rhodey said in amazement. “That kid is either really stupid or really brave or both.”

Tony chuckled. “I know. But I like to think he’s more brave than stupid. I’ve been calling him Brave Kid.”

“Who is he? What happened to him after that?” Rhodey asked. 

Tony shrugged. “I don’t know.” Tony wished there had been a chance to talk to Brave Kid for a minute. After all, he had a soft spot for young Iron Man fans. 

Rhodey thought for a minute. “JARVIS, check the recordings from the security cameras. Make sure that Brave Kid got back to his parents.”

“Certainly, Colonel,” the AI replied. 

They chatted about nonsense - what was going on at SI and Rhodey’s latest assignment - while they finished their lunch. 

JARVIS spoke up, “I have the footage you requested, sir.”

The black and white image started playing on the screen. They watched as Brave Kid ran to a couple of adults, who were obviously relieved to find him. The man lifted the Iron Man helmet off the boy’s head while the woman pulled Brave Kid into her arms. Then the man wrapped his arms around the woman and the child, embracing them both tightly. 

Brave Kid could only be seen in profile, but the adults’ faces were clearly visible. 

Tony couldn’t help but smile at the sight. 

“Any idea who they are, JARVIS?” Rhodey asked. 

“The child is unknown. However, the adults have been identified as Benjamin and May Parker of Queens, New York. They have been married five years and have no children,” JARVIS recited the facts he found. 

“No children? So who’s Brave Kid?” Tony asked in surprise. 

“Benjamin and May Parker have guardianship of their nephew, Peter Parker. Young Peter was orphaned three years ago after his parents were killed in the plane crash on Jones Beach.” The AI explained. 

Tony suddenly remembered Richard Parker’s voice: _Middle name’s Benjamin, after my brother._

He was first shocked, then annoyed. “Brave Kid is the Damned Brat.” He spat out. 

“Damned Brat?” Rhodey asked in confusion. Realization hit. “Wait, you mean the kid you cursed?”

“Yeah. Mary and Richard Parker’s kid,” Tony sounded disgusted. 

Rhodey shook his head. “What are the chances of that? I mean, of all the kids in Queens… Just think about it Tony.”

“Think about what?” Tony walked back to his work station where he had been repairing the Iron Man suit. 

Rhodey followed him. “Well, first you cursed the Damned Brat. Then his parents died when _your_ plane crashed. Then he almost died at _your_ Expo because _your_ enemy was out of control. That’s all a hell of a coincidence.”

Tony grunted, but didn’t say anything. 

“Did he get a decent settlement from the crash?” Rhodey asked quietly. 

The plane crash had turned out to be an act of sabotage. Someone with a grudge against Tony had managed to get a job on the maintenance crew and had planted a device to blow up the plane. The saboteur hadn’t counted on Tony not being aboard. When he learned that he had killed a bunch of innocent scientists instead, he had taken his own life. The confession was in his suicide note. 

Stark Industries had quietly settled with the families of those killed. For the most part, that had meant the parents or siblings. The Parkers had been the only ones with a minor child. 

“Obadiah handled the settlements,” Tony replied. He grimaced at the memory of his dead business partner. “But yeah, the Damn Brat got a very generous college fund. It’s enough for four years at any college, plus room and board.” 

Rhodey tapped on the keyboard and the image of the child in the Iron Man mask came up. He studied it for a minute while Tony worked on the suit. 

“He’s an Iron Man fan,” Rhodey said quietly. 

“What?” Tony asked sharply. He was irritated by the whole situation. 

“Brave Kid, or Damned Brat. He’s an Iron Man fan.” He pointed to the picture on the screen. 

Tony shrugged. “Lots of kids that age are Iron Man fans.”

“Lots of kids didn’t lose their parents on a Stark Industries plane,” Rhodey countered. 

“What’s your point?” Tony was annoyed. 

The colonel shrugged. “I just wonder if he knows how they died.”

“Does it matter?” the billionaire asked bitterly. 

“I don’t know,” Rhodey said thoughtfully. “JARVIS, can you bring up a photo of the Damned Brat without the mask? Can you find one?”

The image changed to what was obviously a school picture. Tony only caught a glimpse of it before he commanded, “JARVIS, take that down. I don’t want to see that.”

He had managed to avoid seeing any photos of the Damned Brat during the settlement procedures. He had no desire to see one now. 

Rhodey sighed. “Tony…” he started. 

But the man didn’t give him a chance to continue. “I’ve got a lot of work to do here,” Tony gestured toward the suit. 

Rhodey knew their conversation was over. “Yeah. I get it. I’ll talk to you later.” He let himself out of the workshop. 

———————

Hours later, Tony still couldn’t get the events of the Stark Expo out of his mind. Despite himself, he gave in to what felt like morbid curiosity. 

“JARVIS, bring up that picture of the Damned Brat.” 

Tony stared at the school photo of young Peter Parker. He was a little surprised to see that the boy completely resembled Richard. For some reason, he had expected the Damned Brat to have Mary’s eyes. Wasn’t that the way it was supposed to go? Wasn’t there something about a tragically orphaned boy who looked like his father but had his mother’s eyes? Tony thought he had heard that somewhere. 

Peter did not have Mary’s eyes. His eyes, his hair, his nose, his ears, all his facial features all looked like Richard. Tony instantly remembered how much he disliked the man. He wanted nothing to do with that man’s child. 

But at the same time, Tony couldn’t forget that the Damned Brat was also the Brave Kid. Despite himself, he felt a small amount of warmth towards the boy. He wouldn’t call it affection, but it compelled him to look further into the child’s life. 

“Alright JARVIS, what can you tell me about him?”

There was silence for a few minutes while the AI hacked into records. 

“Peter Benjamin Parker. Age 8. Lives in Queens with his uncle and aunt. Ben Parker is an electrical technician. May Parker works as a nurses’ aide and is pursuing a degree in nursing. Peter attends public school in Queens in a program for gifted students. Interests are science and mathematics. Medical history includes several emergency room visits. Most are related to asthma; however one was for a broken arm from a fall while learning to ride a bike.”

“Let me see their finances,” Tony requested. 

Several documents filled the screen. Tony took his time going through them. The information left him disappointed and frustrated. Richard and Mary had been brilliant when it came to science, but not when it came to money. Bad investments and mismanaged funds meant that there had been nothing for Peter to inherit. 

Ben and May worked hard. Their income had been sufficient for two adults, but they struggled to make ends meet after taking in the boy. They were behind on the utility bills. Peter’s asthma was not being properly managed and the bills for his ER visits went unpaid. 

Tony’s stomach twisted with guilt. The settlement should have provided resources for the child’s upbringing instead of just his college education. But Tony had never bothered to check on that. He hadn’t wanted to deal with the boy and had trusted Obadiah to do what was right. This was just another way his old business partner had betrayed him. 

Tony’s hands flew over the keyboard. He paid off the Damned Brat’s medical bills as made sure any additional medical expenses would be paid for. He paid the utility bills. He arranged for May and Ben to receive small, but substantial, bonuses from their jobs. He made an anonymous donation to Peter’s school, with the funds earmarked for new science equipment. In each instance, he funneled the money through various community organizations and made sure none of it could be traced back to himself personally or to Stark Industries. 

Tony told himself that he didn’t feel responsible for the Damned Brat. He wasn’t doing these things out of a guilty conscience. After all, it wasn’t his fault Peter Parker just had lousy luck. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote this chapter a bunch of times with different characters involved, but the other versions never rang true and the conversations felt forced. Overall, I’m happy with the way this version turned out. I hope readers like it.


	4. The Assault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony discovers that Peter’s babysitter has hurt him in the worst possible way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for non-graphic references to child sexual abuse. 
> 
> This was a very difficult chapter for me to write, for a variety of reasons. I don’t think I did the subject matter justice, but it was the best I could do.
> 
> This chapter takes place after Iron Man 3.

Tony hadn’t thought about the Damned Brat in years. 

That wasn’t exactly true. He did think of Peter Parker from time to time, especially when he saw a kid in an Iron Man mask. Then the thoughts would come unbidden, memories of the night at the Stark Expo and a vague wondering of how the young boy was doing. But he always tried to push those thoughts away quickly. 

JARVIS quietly monitored Ben and May Parker’s financial situation. The AI reported to one of Tony’s accountants, who had received strict instructions on the matter. If the Parkers hit a rough patch, the accountant was to make sure that they somehow came into extra cash. The money always came from Tony’s personal accounts, but was completely untraceable. It was always disguised as a bonus from work or a winning raffle ticket or (one time) a small inheritance from a distant relative neither Ben nor May had ever heard of. Once or twice a year, the accountant informed Tony that a transaction had been made. 

Tony thought it was a way to make amends, to appease his conscience. His rational, scientific brain told him that curses weren’t real. But another part of his mind nagged at him that maybe, just maybe, curses do work. After all, he had fought aliens and met mythical gods. If those really exist, why not curses? 

So Tony did what he always did when he caused some kind of suffering or destruction. He threw money at the problem and pretended that was enough. 

Then he had met Harley. 

Tony knew he wasn’t good with kids. Sure, he enjoyed interacting with young fans. He was always happy to spare a few minutes to take a photograph or sign an autograph. But his encounters never lasted longer than that. 

With Harley it had been different. They had spent considerable time together. The boy was clever, energetic, and tough. He was eager to help Tony, even excited about it. He had more than his fair share of difficulties, with his father abandoning the family and having to deal with school bullies. Still, the child didn’t let those things crush his bright, curious nature. He was annoyingly talkative and optimistic. Nevertheless, Tony found that he actually liked the kid, even though he didn’t share Harley’s conviction that they were connected. 

But Harley had made him think of another young boy around the same age. Tony found himself thinking more about the Damned Brat. What was his personality like? Was he obnoxiously good mannered like Richard had been? Or had he inherited Mary’s gift of snark? What were his interests? What did he want to be when he grew up?

These thoughts came to him late at night when he was alone in his new workshop in Stark Tower. He had already started to regret the impulsive decision to destroy all his suits. He was now creating holographic designs for an even more advanced model. 

“JARVIS, see what you can find out about what the Damned Brat has been up to. School, extra-curriculars, whatever,” Tony said while he worked out the new propulsion system. 

“Yes, sir,” the AI replied. After a few minutes, he started to recite, “Peter Parker is a straight A student. He is a member of his school’s Mathletes team. He took first place in his school science fair with a project testing the environmental impact of chemical alternatives to road salt…”

“...He’s into chemistry, huh? That’s interesting,” Tony interrupted. 

JARVIS continued, “He took third place in the New York City-wide spelling bee.”

“So the Damned Brat is great at school. How about his medical records? Any more trips to the ER? Is his asthma under control?” Tony asked. 

“His asthma appears to be better controlled with a new daily medication. He has had two trips to the emergency room in the past year. One was due to asthma. The other was related to injuries suffered in an assault.” 

Tony looked up in surprise. “Assault? What do you mean? Who assaulted him? What did they do?” Had the Damned Brat’s guardians hurt him? If so, Tony was going to be livid. 

There was a pause before JARVIS spoke again. The AI’s tone was more heavy and serious than usual. “I cannot access the rest of the medical records. However, I have searched for additional sources of information. Many of the records are sealed, but Peter Parker is named as one of several victims in a case in Queens Criminal Court.”

“What kind of a case?” Tony was getting impatient. 

“Sexual abuse of a minor. The perpetrator was Steven Westcott, who babysat several children in his apartment building, including Peter.”

Tony swore loudly. He threw his coffee mug across the room. He slammed both fists on the table top. Again. And again.

Suddenly, his legs gave out. He stumbled backwards, missed the stool, and fell to the floor, landing hard on his butt. The room seemed to be closing in on him and he could barely take a breath. 

Eventually, he became aware of JARVIS’s voice calling to him, counting out a rhythm and telling him to breathe. Tony realized he was having a panic attack. With the AI’s guidance, he finally got his breathing back under control. 

He stood up slowly, and clumsily sat on the stool. He waved away the designs of the new Iron Man suit, clearing the holographic displays. 

“Okay JARVIS, bring up the court files. Show them to me here,” Tony said in a low voice. 

“Are you sure you’re ready, sir?” The AI asked with concern. “The documents are rather disturbing.”

Tony nodded and took a deep breath. He wasn’t ready. He wouldn’t ever be ready. But he needed to see them anyway. “Yeah. Go ahead.”

The court files suddenly appeared on his displays. He took one more deep breath and started reading the documents. The case was horrific. Steven “Skip” Westcott had been babysitting children in his apartment building for years. And had sexually abused several of them. His victims were both girls and boys; he seemed to have no preference. He targeted kids who were particularly vulnerable - they were all described as shy, quiet kids who wanted to please the adults around them. Westcott manipulated and controlled the children by playing on their fears and insecurities. He used intimidation and shame to keep them cooperative and quiet. 

Peter Parker had been abused by Wescott for several months. Then the boy somehow discovered that Wescott was also abusing two little girls in the building. It was only then that Peter told his guardians what the babysitter had done to him and the girls. He didn’t speak up when he thought he was the only victim. But once he learned Wescott had hurt other kids, Peter knew he had to tell. He hadn’t talked to save himself, but he did it to save the others. 

Ben and May, along with the parents of the other kids, had immediately contacted the police. Peter had bravely answered all their questions and undergone the physical exam. He talked to the detectives and district attorney. During the investigation, more victims were discovered. The children were all terrified of Wescott. Peter was the only one willing to testify, despite his own fear. Westcott was in prison for life, largely due to Peter’s testimony. 

Years ago, Tony called him the Brave Kid for standing up to the Hammer Drone. This was a completely different kind of monster, but he still deserved that name. He actually deserved it even more now. 

What Peter went through was heartbreaking and horrifying. Tony studied all the documents. He poured over the details of the police investigation, the medical reports, the transcripts of the trial. All of it made his heart sink. What really got to him was the victim impact statement written by Ben and May Parker. They wrote how before all this Peter had been a happy, cheerful child who trusted everyone and enjoyed trying new things. After the abuse, he became withdrawn and quiet. He was anxious, had nightmares, and barely ate. He got scared whenever his guardians had to leave him. He didn’t want to play with his friends and kept to himself in his room. 

Tony didn’t particularly like the Damned Brat - and didn’t want to like him - but no kid should ever go through that. Knowing this had happened tore at Tonys heart. Waves of guilt crashed down on him. 

Was this somehow his fault? Had he caused this? Yes, he had cursed the Damned Brat. He had wished the kid a miserable life. But he had never meant for something like this to happen. He had never meant for Mary and Richard to die, for their child to be a poor orphan and to be abused in the worst possible way. He never meant any of it. And yet these terrible, unthinkable things had happened to this innocent child. Were they all his fault?

A part of him screamed _No, you didn’t do this!_ This wasn’t on him. Curses aren’t real. Bad things happen to innocent people all the time - that’s a nasty truth of the world. Peter Parker was just extraordinarily unlucky. Tony tried to cling to that idea. 

But another part of his just as loudly screamed _Yes, you did this!_ You cursed this child and didn’t bother to pay attention to what happened to him. You ruined a child’s life because you were petty and jealous and lusted after a woman who clearly did not want you. 

“I’m sorry!” Tony screamed suddenly to the empty room. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it! I take it back! I don’t want him to have a miserable life!” He didn’t know who he was pleading with - God or gods or the fates or some other entity. It didn’t matter. He would take whomever would listen. Tears slipped down the man’s cheeks, but he barely noticed. 

“Well? Do you hear me?” he demanded brokenly. “How do I take it back?” 

There was no answer. Not that he really expected one. He was going to have to take matters in his own hands and find some way to make amends. 

Harley had called him The Mechanic, had insisted that he could fix anything. But how could he fix a broken child? 

With additional digging over the next several days, Tony learned that the Damned Brat was attending court ordered therapy at the local community center. Tony arranged a large donation to effectively buy himself a seat on the board of directors. (So what if it was technically unethical? He was an honorary board member of several charitable groups. It went with the whole genius, billionaire, playboy, _philanthropist_ thing.) Then he used his considerable influence and resources to arrange for the community center to hire the best child psychologist he could find who specialized in this type of trauma. It wasn’t nearly enough. It didn’t make up for cursing the kid. But it was the best he could do. 

A few nights later, Tony was back in the workshop starting to build the latest design of the Iron Man suit. 

“JARVIS, new instructions. Set up a Damned Brat Protocol. I want you to monitor for any news of Peter Parker and send it to me right away,” Tony told his AI. 

“What kind of news, sir?” JARVIS asked. 

Tony shrugged. “Monitor everything. Emergency channels, broadcast news, social media, his school newspaper. Whatever.”

“Very good, sir.” The AI seemed to approve of this development. 

Tony nodded, satisfied with the decision. He needed to do a better job. Next time something happened to the Damned Brat - and Tony was sure there would be a next time - he would know immediately. If he couldn’t stop the bad things from happening, he could at least intervene as quickly as possible. He had to. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is about Peter’s life, but it’s really about Tony’s reaction to Peter’s life. So we aren’t going to directly see Peter’s traumas, but the effect these events have on Tony. So everything is presented from Tony’s point of view. This is in no way meant to belittle or disregard the personal point of view of children or of victims of crime. It’s just how I’m telling this story.
> 
> Stay safe and take care!


	5. The Bite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony worries when he learns that Peter has been hospitalized with an unexplained illness. Later, Tony is confronted by an angry Ben Parker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place after Age of Ultron and before CA: Civil War.

With the new protocol in place, JARVIS - and later FRIDAY - kept Tony up to date on events in the Damned Brat’s life. 

Tony knew about every academic award Peter earned. He knew when the boy got a broken nose in a fight with the school bully. He knew when the kid got into Midtown High School of Science and Technology. Despite being a public school, it was highly regarded as a top STEM school for gifted students in New York City. 

Tony knew when the teenager started selling items on eBay, despite being too young to do so legally. He was selling refurbished computers and some little gadgets of his own design. Tony guessed that the parts must have come from thrift stores. He even bought a couple of the Damned Brat’s original gadgets, just out of curiosity. Of course, he purchased them under a fake name and had them shipped to a PO Box. When they arrived, Tony was pleasantly surprised by both the workmanship and the ingenuity that had gone into them. The kid really was a genius. 

“Boss,” FRIDAY interrupted him one late one night as he watched something mindless on TV. “I have an alert on the Damned Brat Protocol.”

Tony smiled a little despite himself. “What’s he up to this time?”

“Peter Parker has been admitted to Queens Memorial Hospital,” the AI informed him. 

“What? What’s happened? Why is he in the hospital?” Tony demanded in alarm. 

There was a small pause before FRIDAY responded. “I’m accessing his records now. It appears he has an illness of unknown origin. High fever, pain, vomiting, and seizures. He has been in and out of consciousness.”

“Is it dangerous? Is it life threatening?” Tony asked quietly. 

“Unknown at this time. The doctors are currently running tests to determine the nature of the illness,” FRIDAY reported. 

Tony sighed heavily as the all too familiar feeling of guilt twisted his stomach. “Monitor the situation, FRIDAY. Keep me updated.”

“Understood, Boss.”

Tony slept fitfully that night, he was restless and woke often. He told himself that something he ate must have disagreed with him. It certainly wasn’t due to worry or anxiety. He definitely wasn’t up most of the night thinking about the Damned Brat in the hospital. Or wondering if this unexplained illness might somehow be related to the curse. 

Early in the morning he poured himself a cup of coffee and asked FRIDAY for an update. 

“His fever spiked to 104.3 overnight and he had another seizure. He hasn’t been able to keep down any food. The medical personnel are still trying to determine the cause of the illness.”

“What are they doing for him?” 

“The doctors are administering antibiotics and fever reducers through an IV. Fluids to keep him hydrated. The treatment does not seem to alleviate the illness.”

Tony considered for a moment. “Call Helen Cho,” he instructed the AI. 

After a moment, Helen’s tired voice came through the speaker on his phone. “It’s early, Tony. What do you need?” 

“You have privileges at all the hospitals in New York City, right?” Tony asked without greeting her. 

If she was surprised by the question, it didn’t show in her voice. “Yeah. Well, most of them anyway. Why?”

“I need you to go to Queens Memorial and take a look at a kid. He’s very sick and the doctors there can’t figure out what’s wrong with him.”

Now she did sound surprised. “A kid?”

“A teenager. He’s fourteen,” Tony clarified. 

There was a pause, then she asked. “Is he yours?”

“Definitely not,” he replied quickly. “I just need you to figure out what’s wrong with him and how to treat it. FRIDAY is sending you the details.”

Helen sighed. “Is this a SHIELD case? Or an Avengers thing?”

“No… It’s more of a personal favor,” Tony replied. “Please,” he added as an afterthought. 

“Fine,” Helen said a little reluctantly. 

“And don’t tell anyone that you’re associated with me. I don’t want his guardians or the hospital staff to know I’m involved.”

“Sure, of course.” Helen agreed. “I’ll let you know when I know something.” 

————————

Two days later, Tony was sitting in a diner waiting for Rhodey to join him. It was just a coincidence that the cafe was across the street from Queens Memorial Hospital. The nearby tables were all empty, a fact enforced by a grumpy Happy Hogan, who chased away anyone who tried to sit in the same section as the billionaire. The diner’s staff were too awestruck to say anything. 

Tony was engrossed in his tablet, reading Helen Cho’s latest notes on the Damned Brat. Helen had introduced herself to Peter’s guardians as a special expert in diseases who the hospital had called in to consult on the case. The hospital staff knew better than to contradict her story. 

Helen had done a thorough examination of the boy and took several blood samples for analysis. She had found a small bug bite on the teen’s upper arm. She was working to identify exactly what kind of bite it was, but she suspected it was some type of spider. An allergic reaction to the bite had already been ruled out. Now Helen was looking into whether the bite could have transmitted some rare or exotic disease. The initial blood tests hadn’t turned up anything, so she was running a deeper analysis on the boy’s samples. 

For now, the teen was stable and seemed to be recovering from the strange illness. He still had a fever, but it wasn’t so dangerously high and the seizures had stopped. His appetite was returning and he was holding down the bland hospital food. Overall, the boy's condition was greatly improved. 

Tony shook his head in disbelief. People get bitten by bugs all the time. Such bites were generally irritating, but harmless. But of course when the Damned Brat got bitten, it resulted in a major health crisis. Another coincidence? Bad luck? Or was it the curse in action?

Angry voices broke through Tony’s thoughts and he realized Happy was arguing with someone. He half-listened to the exchange. 

“Look, Mr. Stark is not seeing fans right now. I’m asking you to respect his privacy and leave,” Happy said, calmly but sternly. He physically blocked a man from reaching Tony. 

“I’m not a  _ fan. _ I just need to talk with him for a minute,” the other man insisted. 

Happy stood his ground. “That’s not possible. Give me your name and address and he’ll send you an autographed photo…” 

“I don’t want a goddamn photo. You tell him that Ben Parker needs to speak with him.”

Ben Parker? That got Tony’s full attention. Ben Parker was the Damned Brat’s uncle. He definitely should let Happy handle this. He should not talk to the man. 

“Happy, let him through,” Tony called out, despite his better judgement. 

Happy turned and gave his boss an incredulous look, silently asking if the billionaire was sure about this. At Tony’s slight nod, Happy stepped aside and allowed Ben Parker to pass him. 

Tony watched as Ben approached. He was dressed in a flannel shirt, faded jeans, and work boots. His facial features had a strong resemblance to his long-dead brother, a face which despite everything was still clear in Tony’s mind. It instantly reminded Tony of how much he had disliked Richard Parker. 

Nevertheless, Tony gestured for Ben to take a seat across the table from him. 

“What can I do for you, Mr. Parker?” Tony asked in his charming voice, the one he used for public appearances and the press. 

“You can leave my kid alone,” Ben Parker said firmly, no hint of apprehension in his voice. 

“Your kid?” Tony asked, as if he didn’t know who Ben meant. 

“My nephew. Peter Parker. I know you’ve been stalking him. I’m telling you to leave him alone.” 

Tony gave him a brilliant, fake smile. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Look, I know what’s been going on. Every time my family gets into a financial bind, there’s some kind of unexpected windfall...” Ben started. 

“I don’t see what that has to do with me. It sounds like your family has unusual good luck,” Tony pointed out, somehow keeping the irony out of his voice. 

Ben shook his head. “Don’t insult me. I don’t need to be a genius to figure out where that money is really coming from.”

Tony didn’t reply and the other man continued, “Then there’s Peter’s therapist at the community center. There’s no way a place like that could afford to hire someone with her credentials. But you’re on the Board…”

“I’m on the Board of many such organizations. I’m a philanthropist. That doesn’t mean I do the hiring. In any case, I’m sure the residents of Queens deserve to have access to a competent therapist,” Tony pointed out. 

Ben didn’t acknowledge that. “And now Dr. Cho is working on Peter’s case at the hospital. It only took a quick google search to find out that she’s affiliated with the Avengers. And with you.”

“Dr. Cho has privileges to practice in hospitals all over New York. I certainly do not pick her cases for her.” Tony countered. 

“You also don’t frequent diners in Queens. But here you are, across the street from my nephew’s hospital room.” 

Tony frowned at that, his expression breaking for the first time. “How did you know I was here?”

“A couple of the orderlies were here earlier and saw you. I heard them gossiping about it. When my wife suggested I get Peter some real food, I thought I’d see if you were still here.” He shrugged. 

Tony narrowed his eyes. “And why are you here? What do you want, Mr. Parker?”

“I told you. I want you to stay away from my nephew. Look, it’s not that May and I haven’t been grateful for the extra help. But Peter is our responsibility. He’s not yours.”

Tony frowned. “Not my what?”

“He’s not your kid.” Ben said in a firm tone. 

“I know that,” Tony replied automatically. 

“Do you?” Ben questioned. “Look, I know that you and Mary had a history together. Richard told me she never slept with you. But I heard a lot of rumors at the funeral and afterwards. Several of their colleagues thought you and Mary had something going on, that you might be Peter’s biological father. Is that what you thought too? Is that why you suggested Mary get an abortion?”

Tony was flabbergasted by the odd combination of fact and speculation. He didn’t know how to respond. 

Ben seemed to take Tony’s silence as some kind of answer. “You're not his father. That kid is Richard’s without a doubt.” 

Tony somewhat recovered from his shock. “I never slept with Mary. We were friends and yes, I was attracted to her. But she always shot me down. Of course the Da… of course Peter is Richard’s kid,” Tony explained before he could stop himself. Why was he telling this to Richard’s brother of all people? 

“Then what’s your interest in him?” Ben demanded. “Why can’t you leave my family alone?”

Tony shook his head. He didn’t know what to say. He certainly couldn’t tell Ben Parker about the curse. “Peter’s parents were friends of mine. Then they died on my plane. I just want to know the boy is alright.” It was simple. It was believable. It was almost true. 

“Don’t lie and tell me you were friends with them. You hated Richard. He was just too nice a guy to hate you back,” Ben pointed out. Tony knew that was true. 

“You and your brother must have been close for him to tell you all this,” Tony said snarkily. 

“Don’t…” Ben said warningly. “I’m not as nice as my brother was.”

Tony snorted. Who did this guy think he was, talking to Tony like that? Tony was a billionaire, owner of a powerful company, and a superhero. He could destroy Ben Parker in so many ways. And yet Ben had the audacity to speak to him as though they were equals. Just like Richard had. Tony was thoroughly annoyed. 

Ben spoke again, his voice angry and impatient. “Just stay away from Peter. He doesn’t need for you to be involved in his life. He’s been through enough and we just want him to have a normal life.”

It was just then that Tony noticed Rhodey sitting at a nearby table, smirking and obviously eavesdropping on the conversation. Tony wondered how long his best friend had been there. 

Tony looked back at Ben and plastered on his paparazzi smile. “This has been an interesting talk, but I have better things to do now. Give Happy your address and I’ll make sure you get that autographed photo.”

Ben ignored the false charm, but stood up to leave. “I need to head back before May wonders where I am.” With that he turned and left. 

Rhodey came over and took the just vacated seat. “So that was…”

“Ben Parker. The Damned Brat’s uncle,” Tony spat out. “He told me to stay away from the kid.”

“Are you going to?” Rhodey asked. 

Tony thought for a minute. “Yeah.” He tapped his glasses, “Hey FRIDAY, call Helen and tell her to drop the Parker case. No more contact with the family.”

“Sure thing, Boss,” the AI replied. 

“Good riddance,” Tony muttered. 

——————-

A couple days later, Helen stopped by the workshop, much to Tony’s surprise. 

“To what did I owe the pleasure?” Tony asked charmingly as he cleared his holographic screen to give her his full attention. 

“I’m here about the Parker kid.” Helen got right to the point. 

Tony frowned. “I told you to drop that.”

She shrugged. “I can’t resist an unsolved medical mystery.”

“Did you solve it?” Tony asked quietly. 

Helen smiled. “Partially. But I’m also curious why you were interested in this kid to start with and then suddenly not.” 

“He’s not mine, if that’s what you’re asking,” Tony said firmly. 

“I know that,” Helen replied matter of factly. At his questioning look she explained, “Your blood types make it impossible for Peter to be your kid. Besides, he’s the spitting image of Dr. Richard Parker.”

Tony looked at her sharply. “Did you know Richard?”

Helen shook her head. “Not personally, no. But I’m guessing you did. That explains your interest in his son.”

Tony shrugged. “Yeah. Something like that.” 

“Anyway, I’ve long admired Dr. Parker’s work. His discoveries about genetic replication were key to my development of the regeneration cradle,” Helen said excitedly. 

Tony thought about that for a moment. Many of the Avengers had been helped by treatments with the cradle after suffering injuries in the field. He didn’t want to think that they owed some part of that to Richard Parker. He pushed the thought away. 

“So what did you find out about the kid?” Tony asked instead. Like Helen, he couldn’t resist the mystery. 

She tapped at the keyboard and brought data up on the display. “He’s mutating.”

That was the last thing Tony had expected to hear. “Mutating how?”

“Whatever bit him altered his DNA. He’s mutating very much like Steve Rogers did after he was subjected to the serum.”

“So the Damned Brat is enhanced now?” Tony asked. The unflattering nickname slipped out before he realized it. 

“Damned Brat?” Helen asked with amusement.

Tony didn’t care to explain. “What did you find?” 

“I would need additional samples to be sure, but I suspect he has enhanced strength, speed, and healing as well as an accelerated metabolism and improved senses.”

“Well, that’s just fantastic,” Tony muttered sarcastically. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. 

“I know you said to drop it, but do you want me to contact his guardians? Do we have an obligation to tell them what I’ve found?” Helen’s voice was full of uncertainty. 

“No. The uncle made it clear that he wants no further contact from us. If the kid is enhanced like you say, I’m sure his guardians will figure that out soon enough.”

“You’re sure?” Helen asked. 

“Yeah. It’s not our problem.” Tony said dismissively. 

Helen nodded, but looked doubtful. Then she let herself out of the workshop. 

After she left, Tony scrolled through the data on the screen. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. But the proof was undeniable: the Damned Brat was mutated and enhanced. How the hell did this happen? Was this curse ever going to stop? 

Angrily, he swiped the data off the display. “Not my problem. Let Ben Parker deal with it,” he told himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like the idea of having Tony meet Ben Parker just once, especially with what’s coming next.


	6. The Robbery and The New Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another tragedy strikes the Parkers. Soon after, a new hero becomes active in Queens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been a challenge for me to take all these events that everyone knows so well and put a new spin on them, a different perspective. It’s fun, but difficult at times. There are many well-written stories about these events, so that’s a little intimidating, but I hope readers enjoy my take on them.

Tony and Rhodey were in the workshop going over the upgrades the billionaire had planned for the War Machine suit. 

“This will give you better ease of movement while increasing the suit’s strength and durability,” Tony explained. 

Rhodey swiped through the holographic displays, studying each one. “The simulations look great. I can’t wait to try it out.”

Tony smiled. He loved doing this kind of work on the suits. He admired his own design as he said, “It should be ready for you in a couple days.” 

Rhodey nodded, then turned away from the screen. “Oh hey! I saw your Damned Brat was on the news.”

Tony looked up, startled by the change in topic. “First of all, he’s not  _ my _ Damned Brat. He’s just  _ a _ Damned Brat…”

Rhodey quirked an eyebrow. “ _ A _ Damned Brat? How many kids have you cursed?”

“Wh - What? ...No… Just the one,” Tony sputtered. 

Rhodey chuckled. 

Tony shot him an annoyed look and then asked, “Second of all, what do you mean he was on the news?”

“Some convenience store robbery in Queens. Your Damned Brat was involved. I saw his picture on the news.”

Tony didn’t bother to correct him a second time. “When?”

Rhodey thought for a minute. “Two nights ago.”

For a moment, Tony was annoyed that Rhodey didn’t tell him this sooner. Then he remembered that to his friend, the Damned Brat was merely a topic of minor interest, but no real concern. Tony never shared all the details he knew about the kid, just little tidbits here and there. He never even told Rhodey about Helen’s discovery that the teen was enhanced after his recent illness.

“Involved how? Is he knocking over convenience stores now?” Tony asked irritably. Because now he had to wonder if the Damned Brat was the type of kid who would use his new powers to commit felonies. 

Rhodes shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t catch the whole story. Doesn’t FRIDAY tell you about these things?”

“Not anymore. I disabled the protocol last month after his uncle told me to stay out of their lives,” Tony’s voice was slightly bitter. 

“Yeah, I remember that,” Rhodes snickered. He was still greatly amused that a guy like Ben Parker had the guts to tell off a billionaire. 

Scowling, Tony said, “FRIDAY, look up news reports about a robbery in Queens involving the Damned Brat.”

The AI answered much faster than he expected, as if she had the information already. “Peter Parker and Benjamin Parker were involved in a shooting at a bodega in Queens two days ago. The incident resulted in one death and two injuries. The robber evaded the police and got away.”

_ Okay, _ Tony thought,  _ so the Damned Brat was a victim and not the perpetrator. At least he’s not out there committing crimes. _ Then it registered that FRIDAY said someone was dead and others were injured. His blood ran cold with dread. What had the curse done this time? 

“Who was killed? And who was injured?” He asked. 

“Benjamin Parker was shot in the chest and pronounced dead on arrival at Queens Memorial Hospital. The store owner suffered a non-lethal gunshot wound to the shoulder. Paramedics on the scene reported that Peter Parker was injured with what was believed to be a graze from a bullet. However, examination by hospital staff found no evidence of injury.”

Tony’s thoughts were racing. What the hell had happened? Ben Parker was dead. And Peter may or may not have been hurt. Helen had said that fast healing could be one of the Damned Brat’s enhancements. Had the kid been injured and healed that quickly? Or had the paramedics been mistaken with all the chaos at the scene?

“So the kid’s uncle is dead?” Rhodey asked solemnly, bringing Tony’s mind back to that very important point. 

“Shit,” Tony muttered. Wasn’t it enough that the Damned Brat’s parents are dead? That he was already an orphan? Now one of his guardians is dead too. The all too familiar feeling of guilt settled in his stomach. 

“That’s rough. The kid really is cursed. What do you think will happen to him?” Rhodey asked reflectively. 

Tony’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

Rhodey shrugged one shoulder. “I just mean the Damned Brat’s uncle was his father’s brother, right? His aunt is only related by marriage. Is she still going to want him? She could send him to foster care.”

Tony was shocked by the suggestion. He couldn’t imagine the Damned Brat going into foster care. Not after everything else that had already happened to him. 

With a false calmness he said, “She’s raised him since he was five. Of course she’ll still want him.” 

“I hope you’re right, for his sake,” Rhodey commented, looking back at the planned suit upgrade. 

After Rhodey left, Tony carefully read the police report about the robbery. There wasn’t much more information than what FRIDAY had already told him. 

The police had no leads in the case. It was just an ordinary robbery, but one that happened to end in the death of an innocent bystander. Such things happened in New York all the time. It was tragic, but it certainly wasn’t uncommon. The police would look into it, but didn’t really have the manpower or resources needed to do more than a basic investigation. 

Tony told FRIDAY to let him know if there were any breaks on the case, but he felt pretty sure it would remain unsolved. 

———————

Tony didn’t attend the funeral, of course. But he sent a surveillance drone so he could see what went on. 

The Parkers were apparently not a religious family. They didn’t have a service in any house of worship, just a graveside gathering with a secular celebrant. The weather was cool, overcast without being too dreary. 

May was the very picture of a grieving widow, with her black dress and tightly clutched handkerchief. She cried throughout the ceremony. But at the same time, her posture was straight and perfect. She was also a figure of strength and strong will. 

Peter stood beside her the whole time. He looked awkward, shoulders hunched in his ill-fitting suit. He shifted around, his weight first on one foot, then the other. The boy was pale and his tears streaked his face. He occasionally swiped at them with his sleeve. 

After the ceremony, the others in attendance offered May and Peter their condolences, then drifted away one by one. In the end, only the woman and the teen were standing together beside the fresh grave. Tony watched as May put an arm around her nephew’s shoulders, and pulled him towards her. Peter turned slightly, resting his head against her and cried. May’s other arm wrapped around him as well. She held him tightly and kissed him on the head. 

Tony turned off the feed from the drone. He had seen enough. He didn’t need to be a voyeur of their grief. He could see that May and Peter had a strong bond and he was certain that May would still want the boy. That was all he needed to know. 

——————

Three weeks later, Tony was having his breakfast when FRIDAY announced, “Boss, there’s been a development in the Ben Parker murder case.”

Tony dropped his fork in surprise. He swallowed his mouthful of eggs quickly. “What kind of development?” 

“The perpetrator has been apprehended. Apparently, he has confessed to the crime,” the AI informed him. 

Tony was shocked. “How did they find him?”

“An anonymous tip led them to his location. They found him in an alley in Queens where he was… stuck to the wall with… what appeared to be… spider webs.” FRIDAY said a little hesitantly. 

“What was that?” Tony questioned. It didn’t make any sense. “Spider webs?”

“I’m sorry, Boss. That’s what the report said.” FRIDAY sounded unsure. 

“What kind of a spider would web a robber to a wall?” Tony asked incredulously. 

“No additional information is available. The report is unclear on the matter.”

“I bet,” Tony muttered. 

Something itched in his brain. He pondered for a while, then pulled up a holographic display and said, “FRIDAY, do a search on spider webs and criminals captured in Queens.”

It took a few minutes, but then FRIDAY put the search results on the screen. There wasn’t anything really reliable, most of the results came from social media and tabloids. But there were several stories of a masked crime fighter who had first appeared a couple of weeks ago. He protected the residents of Queens from mugging, assaults, and other street-level crime. He had even saved people from being injured in traffic accidents.

The crime fighter identified himself as Spider-Man. Apparently he used something similar to spider webs to swing from one building to another and also to restrain the criminals he caught. It appeared that he never intentionally inflicted harm on those he captured, but preferred to notify the police instead. 

Spider-Man was reported to be unusually strong and unusually fast, with unnatural agility and dexterity. He also appeared to have superior senses. The hero apparently wanted to hide his true identity. He dressed in a hideous red and blue costume that resembled pajamas and his mask featured dark goggles. The costume didn’t seem to offer much protection. It was obvious to Tony that whoever this was, the person was enhanced. 

He had FRIDAY cancel his meetings for the day. Pepper would be angry with him, but he could deal with that. If there was a new enhanced individual active in the city, he needed to know the whole situation. 

Tony spent the rest of the day pouring through the eyewitness stories about the new hero. There were a few YouTube videos and he studied them intently. He watched how the masked figure moved and listened to how he talked. It was obvious that the person had mad skills, but was young and inexperienced. Tony thought that the enhanced powers must be relatively new. 

Suddenly something clicked in his brain. With a sense of foreboding he pulled up Helen’s file on the Damned Brat. She had speculated that the teen would have enhanced strength, speed, healing, agility, and senses. That all lined up with the videos and stories on the internet. Spider-Man. The boy had been bitten by some sort of spider just before his illness. It was all too much to be a coincidence. The Damned Brat was Spider-Man. 

What was Tony supposed to do? Certainly fourteen was way too young for the kid to be putting himself in this kind of danger, wasn’t it? Should he stop the Damned Brat? Or should he just let the kid be? How much responsibility did he really have here? And was this somehow part of the curse? 

Ben Parker had wanted Tony to leave them alone, to stay out of their lives. Maybe that was the best course of action after all. Certainly the Damned Brat knew that Iron Man and the Avengers were at the Tower. He could find them if he needed help. Tony decided that until Spider-Man contacted them, he should just let things be. 

Of course if and when Spider-Man did decide to ask for help, Tony would have to be ready. He was going to have to do more research on Spider-Man’s powers and find out about those webs. It was time to start designing another suit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, Tony doesn’t know that Peter feels responsible for Ben’s death. He’ll learn about that later. 
> 
> The next chapter will have the long-awaited meeting between Tony and Peter. It will be a little more lighthearted and fun (I hope).
> 
> Thank you for all the comments and kudos. Even when I don’t get a chance to respond to all the comments, I still love them and appreciate the encouragement.


	7. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the Avengers team splits apart, Tony feels desperate and recruits Peter Parker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m trying to avoid rewriting scenes that exist in the movies as much as possible. For one thing, I assume the the readers are familiar with these scenes. For another, I think they are already very well done, both in the movies and in other fanfics. So I try to write around the scenes in the movies, to show the moments that weren’t captured on film. However some scenes are impossible to avoid, like this first meeting between Tony and Peter.

“We’re seriously understaffed…” Natasha said in a hushed tone. 

Tony knew it was the truth. He knew they needed more manpower to bring in Steve and the others. He knew they were desperate. And he knew desperate times called for desperate measures. 

“I have an idea…”

——————

Happy drove through Queens while Tony reviewed the data he had gathered on Spider-Man’s abilities. Over the past few months he had monitored social media and the local news for any stories about the young hero. He knew that Spider-Man had super strength, speed, agility, and healing. Additionally his senses were more acute, but Tony wasn’t sure of the extent. 

He had managed to collect samples of the strange webbing. It was hard to study the webs before they dissolved, but he had managed to discover a few things. For one, they were synthetically made, rather than produced by Spider-Man organically. The hero used wrist devices to shoot them. But Tony didn’t know who actually manufactured the webs. They were also incredibly strong, with tensile strength off the charts. 

Another thing Tony didn’t know was how Spider-Man climbed walls. He strongly suspected it was some kind of adhesive on the gloves, another lab-created substance. 

Tony had already created the Spider-Man suit. It would give the kid some protection without interfering with his known abilities. But he would need to get some more information from the Damned Brat so he could make adjustments before the trip. 

“We’re here,” Happy’s voice broke into his thoughts. 

Tony looked at the ugly building with its bleak architecture and stained brick. 

“You called the aunt earlier?” Tony asked. 

“Yeah. I told her you wanted to talk and verified what time the kid gets home from school. She’s working a late shift tonight, so you’ll have a couple hours before she needs to leave.” 

“That’s more time then I’ll need,” Tony replied as he exited the car. “You should wait here.”

“Sure,” Happy agreed. He didn’t want to be part of that conversation anyway. 

Tony took a deep breath as he approached the apartment. He didn’t think May Parker knew about her nephew’s alter ego. So he had a well thought out cover story. 

He put on his best press-worthy smile and knocked on the door. It swung open immediately and he was met with an attractive, but stern-looking woman about his own age. 

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Parker,” he said charmingly. 

“Hello, Mr. Stark,” she opened the door wider and stepped aside. “Please come in before the neighbors see you.” 

May showed him into the living room, where he took a seat on the couch. The apartment was small with a cozy feel. The decor was outdated and the furnishings showed some wear and tear. But Tony guessed that everything would have been considered stylish when it had originally been purchased. He realized that Ben Parker’s death, and the subsequent loss of his income, must have put a huge financial strain on the woman. 

“Would you like some coffee?” May asked cordially. 

“Yes, thank you.”

She placed a cup on the coffee table, as well as a plate of some type of nut and fruit bread. “My famous walnut date loaf. I just made it. Please try some.” She sat on the other end of the couch. 

Tony smiled as he took a bite. Then he suppressed a grimace as the tough, overly spiced bread hit his taste buds. He forced himself to chew and swallow as May watched him approvingly. He washed it down with the coffee, which was surprisingly decent. 

“Mrs. Parker…” he started. 

“Mr. Stark, if this is about the settlement, I assure you we have kept up our end of the deal,” May Parker said firmly. 

What did that mean? Had Obie set up the settlement with strings attached? Tony had never wanted that. 

“I’m sorry, what do you mean by your end of the deal?” he asked with false calmness. 

May glared at him. “We promised not to talk to the press about the plane crash and we never have. Ben and I never did.” She faltered a little when she mentioned her late husband. 

“Mrs. Parker…”

“Look, it’s not Peter’s fault that some reporters ambushed him after school. He’s just a kid. He shouldn’t lose his chance of going to college because of it.” May spoke very quickly. 

_ Goddamn it, Obie!  _ Tony thought. 

“Mrs. Parker,” he interrupted more forcefully and the woman fell silent. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I don’t care who you talk to about the crash.”

May folded her arms over her chest. “Then why did you make that a condition of the settlement?”

“I didn’t. That was my late business partner. I didn’t know he did that…” he uncharacteristically stumbled through the words. Tony took a breath and started again. “You can talk to whomever you want. I don’t care.”

May nodded, acknowledging the statement. “Thank you.”

More softly, Tony asked, “Why are reporters ambushing Peter after school?”

May sighed. “The tenth anniversary of the crash is coming up. Some reporters want to interview Peter about it, get a statement from him.”

Tony frowned.  _ Ten years. _ Was it really ten years already? Mary and Richard had been dead for a decade. Guilt twisted his stomach. Or maybe that was the walnut date loaf. 

“Peter can talk to them if he wants. But they shouldn’t be harassing a minor. I’ll take care of it.” 

“Thank you.” May seemed to relax for a moment. Then she tensed up again and asked carefully, “If it’s not about the settlement, why are you here?”

“I’m here about the grant Peter applied for,” Tony said brightly, using the cover story he had concocted. 

May looked confused. “Grant? What grant?”

“You’ve heard of the September Foundation?” Tony was sure she would have heard of it. There had been a lot of news coverage. 

“Yes, but I thought that was for college students.”

Tony nodded. “It is, for the most part. But we’re starting a small initiative for a few of the best and brightest high school students in New York.”

“Peter never told me that he applied for any grant…” May started. 

Tony was expecting that. “We’ve been working with the top STEM schools to identify candidates. The applications were done through the schools. Peter goes to Midtown Tech, right? That’s a very highly rated school. I understand he’s at the top of his class.”

May nodded with a look of pride on her face. “I guess that makes sense. So what’s involved with this grant?”

Tony flashed her a smile. This part had to go well. He forced himself to eat more of the bread. “The program Peter was accepted for includes an internship at Stark Industries. He will work with me on developing new technology.”

“An internship? Isn’t he a little young for that? And what about school?” May asked with concern. 

“I will personally make sure the internship does not interfere with his school work. And he will gain experience that will look great on his college applications.” Tony was charming and reassuring. 

May still seemed uncertain. “And this has nothing to do with the settlement? Nothing to do with his parents?”

Tony shook his head. “No. This is just about Peter. He is an extraordinary young man. And he deserves every opportunity to succeed.” Tony hoped that sounded sincere. 

Thankfully, May seemed to accept that. Now, for the most important part of the ruse. 

“There’s an intern retreat at one of the SI facilities upstate this weekend. I would very much like for Peter to attend.”

“This weekend? It’s already Friday afternoon. That’s pretty short notice,” May sounded a little annoyed. 

“Yes, I realize that. But it will give him a chance to meet other interns, go through orientation, and become familiar with the company,” he lied smoothly. 

“That does sound helpful,” May considered. “Alright. He can go. As long as he has time to finish his homework.”

“Of course,” Tony agreed quickly. “My driver will pick him up this evening.”

Just then, they heard a key in the lock and the door swung open. 

“Hey, May,” a young voice called out. 

Tony barely caught a glimpse of the Damned Brat as he walked through the kitchen. The teen was commenting on the “crazy car” parked outside when he came into full view and suddenly stopped. 

They stared at each other for just a moment. It was Tony’s first real look at the child he had cursed. This was the Damned Brat he had spent years -  _ watching over? ...monitoring? …stalking? _ \- Tony wasn’t even sure what word accurately described the situation. This was the Brave Kid who had faced off with a Hammer drone while wearing a toy mask, who had suffered one tragedy after another. 

The teen was smaller than Tony had expected. And he looked young, so very young.  _ What the hell am I doing here?  _ Tony asked himself. But then he pushed that thought aside. Desperate times called for desperate measures, after all. 

The kid sure didn’t look like much, but Tony was aware that his scrawny frame hid wiry muscles. His face was the spitting image of Richard Parker. Tony felt an instant aversion to him because of that and had to turn up the charm to hide it. 

Luckily, the kid went along with the story about the grant. He was a bundle of excitement and nerves. He obviously wanted to hide the truth from his aunt and was able to disarm any suspicion she had by invoking her love of surprises. It only took a few minutes for Tony to get the chance to talk to the Damned Brat in private. 

Peter’s bedroom was pathetic. It was tiny, the sparse furnishings crammed together. A small closet with no door was set into one corner. The twin bed frame lacked a headboard and was shoved up against a wall. The bedside table was a couple of milk crates and a pile of books with an old lamp set on top. The desk was just two stacks of milk crates with a beat-up slab of wood spread across them. Tony suspected this was the missing closet door. A kid deserved better, even this kid. 

The desk was covered with pieces of technology in various stages of being torn down and rebuilt, as well a few finished projects he recognized from Peter’s eBay store. He was a little surprised to discover that Peter was a dumpster diver. It was amazing that the kid had done so much from the scraps he found in the trash. 

The Damned Brat initially denied being Spider-Man. But when Tony found the hidden suit, he deflated and admitted to it. He seemed particularly anxious to keep his aunt from finding out his secret. 

Tony questioned him briefly about the web fluid, the dark goggles, and how he climbed walls. Tony got ideas for some quick improvements he could make to the Spider-Man suit. Then he asked what he really needed to know, why the Damned Brat was doing all this anyway. 

Peter looked at him, looked away, looked down. He talked about how he had only gotten his powers six months ago and how no one could know he was different. While he talked, Tony searched for some resemblance to Mary. To his immense disappointment, he found none. 

Then Peter said, “Look, when you can do the things I can, but you don’t… and then the bad things happen, they happen because of you.”

That took Tony by surprise. It was the complete opposite of his own philosophy. Tony felt guilty when did the things he could and then bad things happened. But Peter seemed more worried about failing to act when he had the opportunity to help. He just wanted to make the world a better place. 

It was such a Richard thing to say. Tony hated that. 

He needed to get this over with and get out of there. He told Peter they were going to Germany. To Tony’s disbelief, the Damned Brat tried to turn him down, claiming he had homework. So Tony threatened to tell May the truth and was shocked to find his hand solidly webbed to the door knob. 

“Don’t tell Aunt May,” Damned Brat said with a firmness Tony hadn’t expected. 

“All right, Spider-Man,” Tony agreed. Then more irritably, he added, “Get me out of here.”

“Just let me get…” Peter’s words trailed off as he grabbed a bottle of liquid from the desk. 

The boy worked the liquid into the webs. “This will just take a minute or two to dissolve them.”

Tony was impressed despite himself. The billionaire hadn’t been able to recreate the web formula or figure out a dissolvent. This kid really was a genius. 

“I already told May that I’ll be taking you on an intern retreat upstate this weekend. My driver will pick you up later this evening to take you to Germany,” he said in a low voice. 

“I told you I don’t have a passport…” Peter reminded him. 

“No worries.” He waved the boy's concern away with his free hand. “You’ll be on a private jet. There are ways to avoid the usual check in with customs.”

“An Avengers jet? A quinjet?” Peter asked excitedly. 

Tony thought for a minute. He would be taking the quinjet back to Germany. But he had no intention of spending a long flight with Richard Parker’s son. It would be better for the Damned Brat to travel separately with Happy. 

“No, a Stark Industries plane,” Tony replied. 

Peter paused in his task. His face fell and his eyes unfocused for a moment. Tony suddenly remembered that May had mentioned the upcoming anniversary of the plane crash that had killed Mary and Richard. A Stark Industries plane. 

“It’s perfectly safe,” Tony said reassuringly. 

Peter nodded, his attention pulled back to the task. “So, you told May that you’re taking me upstate, but you’re actually going to smuggle me into a foreign country? That sounds a lot like kidnapping.”

Tony looked at him in shock, about to protest that characterization. Then he caught the mischievous half-smile on the boy’s face. Finally, Tony saw something of Mary in him. It was strangely endearing. 

“Yes, Iron Man is kidnapping you,” Tony said dryly as he was freed from the web. 

Peter chuckled as he opened the door and the two returned to the living room.

“Everything all settled?” May asked. 

“Yes, thank you,” Tony replied charmingly. 

“Here, I wrapped up the rest of the walnut date loaf for you. You can take it with you,” she said warmly. May pressed the foil wrapped package into his hand. He had no choice but to accept it, despite his dislike of being handed things. May grinned at him sweetly while Peter looked smug. 

“I’ll walk you out,” the teen offered as May returned to the kitchen. 

“You never did tell me how you stick to walls,” Tony said in a voice below even a whisper. He knew that it would have been in Cap’s range of hearing and wondered if the boy’s senses were similar. However Peter didn’t react, so Tony thought the Damned Brat’s senses weren’t quite as acute as the super soldier’s. 

“It was nice meeting you, Mr. Stark,” the boy said politely once they reached the door. He put his hand out to shake Tony’s. 

The billionaire hesitated for just a moment, then shook the kid’s hand. The Damned Brat had a strong grip, just short of painful. Tony was sure the teen could have broken every bone in his hand with only a slight effort. 

The boy relaxed his fingers, but when Tony tried to pull his hand back, it was stuck. There was a very odd sensation in the skin of his palm. It was like suction, like a tingling, like an itch - but wasn’t really any of those. It was almost unpleasant. 

Tony looked at their hands in shock. He tried again to pull away, without success. He looked at Peter’s face. 

The boy smirked at him. “That’s how,” he mouthed soundlessly. There was a self-satisfied glint in his eye. Again, Tony saw an echo of Mary in her son’s face. It startled him almost as much as the sticky hands. But even more startling was the warm rush of affection that suddenly washed over him. 

Then the moment was over. The odd sensation was gone and Tony’s hand fell to his side. Peter’s face was once again innocent, with only a trace of a smile remaining. 

“Did you have anymore questions for me, Mr. Stark?” the teen asked. 

“No. But May said that some reporters have been harassing you.” 

Peter scowled and looked away, his confidence evaporated. 

Tony continued, “If you want to talk to them, that’s fine. But if you don’t…”

“I don’t want to,” Peter interrupted quickly. 

The man nodded. “I’ll take care of it. They won’t bother you anymore.” His voice was soft and gentle. 

“Thank you, sir,” Peter said sincerely. 

“Go get packed. The car will be here soon,” Tony said before he walked away. 

Once outside, Tony tossed the foil package into the nearest trash can. 

He was bringing a teenage superhero into an Avengers fight. He hoped this wouldn’t turn out to be a huge mistake. The Damned Brat better know what he was doing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s my own head cannon that Peter accidentally destroyed his original bedroom furniture while trying to figure out his new powers. Due to financial issues, he replaced it with milk crates. In the movie, you can clearly see the makeshift bedside table. And in the post-credits scene, you can see that the desk is a wooden board set atop more stacks of milk crates. I love that. 
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving if you’re somewhere that celebrates it! If you’re not, have a wonderful day anyway. Stay safe and be well!


	8. The Trip to Germany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony makes final preparations to take Peter to Germany. After the battle, some of the Avengers react to meeting Spider-Man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first part of this happens right after the previous chapter, after Tony leaves May and Peter’s apartment. The rest takes place immediately after the airport battle, and before the scene where Tony confronts Natasha. At this point, he doesn’t know about a Nat’s part in Steve and Bucky getting away.

After he left the Parkers’ apartment, Tony spent a few hours making adjustments to the Spider-Man suit. He changed the eye lenses to compensate for the Damned Brat’s sensory sensitivity. Since he had pocketed a fresh sample of the web fluid, he recalibrated the web shooters. He also spent time refining the materials on the gloves and boots to avoid interference with the kid’s natural stickiness. 

Once he was satisfied with the suit, he turned to the next task at hand. Tony had been honest when he told the kid that the lack of a passport wouldn’t be a problem. They could easily get around customs. But getting around the U.N. was a different thing entirely. Spider-Man was too young to legally sign the Accords, so someone needed to fill out the required paperwork and sign on his behalf. Tony sighed, then picked up his pen. He only paused for a moment before he wrote down all the Damned Brat’s information and signed the documents. Then he told FRIDAY to forward them to Secretary Ross. 

Tony felt just a little bad about it. But he had only agreed to not tell May Parker about the teen’s crime fighting activities. He never said anything about not telling the government. Still, it shouldn’t be a problem. As long as the kid stuck with fighting minor crimes, he wouldn’t run afoul of the Accords or attract undue government attention. The kid didn’t even have to know that Tony had signed for him. Still, he did feel a twinge of guilt. 

Once again, he reminded himself that desperate times call for desperate measures. 

——————-

The fight at the airport was a shitshow and ended, as Vision had predicted, in catastrophe. 

Rhodey was seriously injured and there was no doubt the rest of the team had minor injuries. Steve and Barnes had somehow gotten away. 

Ross showed up with his troops to round up Sam, Clint, Wanda, and Scott. Tony was shocked and disgusted to learn they were being taken to the Raft. That was an ultra high-security prison for the most dangerous threats. It wasn’t supposed to be for Avengers who disagreed with the U.N. 

Rhodey was rushed by air ambulance to the nearest secure medical facility. The rest of them, whoever was left, were quickly taken there by ground transportation. 

While Rhodey underwent the first of many scans and tests, the others were treated for their injuries. Tony had been banged up a lot, but nothing was too serious. He had a lot of bruising and a sprained wrist. 

Once he was cleared by the doctor, Tony went to the neighboring exam room. He gave a perfunctory knock before pushing the door open and entering. 

The Damned Brat perched on the exam table in just his boxer shorts while a doctor examined him. The boy had bruises on his face, chest, ribs, and legs. Tony winced a little at the sight.

Happy was scowling in the corner of the room, half watching the exam and half reading something on his phone. Tony had assigned his Head of Security the miserable task of babysitting the Damned Brat and the man was obviously not happy about it. 

“How is he?” Tony asked the doctor. 

“Are you legally responsible for him?” The doctor asked, glancing toward the adult superhero. 

Tony nodded. “I am for this.” Peter looked a little surprised at that statement, but didn’t say anything. 

The doctor seemed to accept that. “He’s got a torn muscle in his shoulder, a couple of cracked ribs, and multiple contusions. No sign of concussion. I understand he has accelerated healing and I can see that his injuries are already improving quickly.”

“Uhm...about that…” Peter started nervously. 

“Don’t worry about it, kid,” Tony interrupted. “This is a secure U.N. facility and everyone here has signed Non-Disclosure Agreements.” 

Peter nodded and seemed to be reassured. It was obvious he trusted Tony, even if that trust was misplaced. 

The billionaire turned back to the doctor. “So what do we need to do for him?”

“I expect that with food and rest he will be fully recovered in a couple days, if not sooner.”

Tony thanked the doctor politely. He felt more than a little relieved that the Damned Brat wasn’t more seriously hurt. His stomach had been in a knot since the moment the kid had been knocked out of the sky. 

“How’s Rhodey?” Happy asked as soon as the doctor left the room. 

Tony shook his head. “It’ll be a while before we know anything.” 

His best friend was most likely permanently injured. Tony didn’t know just yet how to deal with that. He felt guilty. He felt furious with Steve. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. 

His gaze landed on the Damned Brat as the boy hopped off the exam table and grabbed a faded backpack from the floor. 

“Happy, take him back to the hotel,” Tony said dismissively. 

“No,” the grumpy man replied firmly. “I’m staying here until we know about Rhodey.” Happy crossed his arms over his chest. His body language and facial expression showed that he wasn’t going to be convinced otherwise. 

Tony knew he shouldn’t be surprised. Over the years, Happy and Rhodey had become good friends, even if the main thing they had in common was putting up with Tony. It made sense that Happy would insist on staying. 

“It’s okay. I don’t need to go back to the hotel. I can hang out here,” Peter said quickly as he rummaged through the backpack. 

“What’s all that?” Tony asked with mild curiosity. 

“Oh, just some extra clothes and my homework,” the boy replied. He pulled out a tee shirt and athletic pants and started to get dressed. 

Tony looked at Happy questioningly. 

“He brought it to the airport fight,” Happy explained with a bit of exasperation to his voice. 

Tony frowned. What kind of a superhero brings homework to a battle? Oh right, one who is just a child. It was a terrible reminder of just how young the boy was. What had he been thinking, pulling a kid into this mess? 

Tony would prefer for the teen to go back to the hotel, so the Damned Brat would be out of sight and out of mind for at least a little while. Plus he didn’t know how the others would react to learning that Spider-Man was a kid. But with Happy refusing to go, they would all just have to deal with it. 

“Just stay out the way,” Tony admonished the boy. 

Peter nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Come on, I’ve arranged for a private waiting room to be set up for us,” the billionaire led them down the hall and around the corner. 

The waiting room was surprisingly spacious, with several comfortable looking couches and easy chairs. A table had been arranged with platters of thick sandwiches and a variety of beverages. 

Vision and Natasha were already there. T’Challa must still be seeing the doctor - apparently he had taken some hard hits right at the end of the battle. The android was staring out the window contemplatively. The super spy was settled into one of the soft chairs with a plate of food. They both looked up as Tony and the others entered the room. Natasha studied the teenager for a moment, but didn’t say anything. Peter ducked his head shyly as his stomach growled loudly. 

“Eat something,” Tony told the kid in a quiet voice. He remembered the doctor had said that food would help the boy heal faster. 

Peter piled a plate with sandwiches and sat cross-legged on a couch in the far corner of the room. He pulled a textbook and papers out of his backpack and proceeded to do some homework he ate. 

Tony ate a little, without really tasting anything. Then he paced the room as they waited for news on Rhodey. Out of the corner of his eye, the man watched Peter. The boy ate more sandwiches than the rest of them combined and completed his chemistry homework. After a while, he sprawled out on the couch and fell asleep, the chemistry textbook clutched against his chest. 

The kid had done well in the fight, even better than Tony had expected. He had shown himself to be strong, brave, and quick-thinking. He had been a great help to his teammates. The teen had a lot to learn, but he had great potential. In an odd way, Tony felt proud of the kid. The feeling left him a little uneasy. More than that, he worried that he was starting to actually like the Damned Brat. 

Eventually, Vision moved away from the window. He walked over to the couch and stood over it as he watched the sleeping teenager for several minutes. Then he gently removed the heavy textbook from the boy’s grasp, setting it on the side table. 

“This is Peter Parker,” Vision said in sudden realization. “Fifteen years old. Resident of Queens, New York.”

“Yes,” Tony replied, just a little startled. But Vision often knew things JARVIS had known. In his periffery, Tony could see Natasha typing something into a tablet. No doubt she was already pulling up information about the kid. 

The android had an odd expression on his face. 

“What?” Tony asked, a little irritability. 

“I feel... a certain fondness for him,” Vision said with wonder. “And an urge to protect him.”

Tony blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t want to have his conversation. 

“It is quite curious,” Vision observed. 

Natasha looked up from whatever she was reading on the tablet. “Do you feel the same thing when you’re around other kids? A need to protect them?”

The android considered for a moment. “I am not frequently in the presence of children… human children, anyway.”

Natasha’s eyebrow quirked as if she was trying to understand the clarification. Tony laughed a little despite his annoyance, knowing it was a reference to the child-like bots in his lab. 

Vision continued, “I certainly would attempt to keep a child from coming to harm. But this…” he indicated the slumbering boy, “...this feels different.” 

“It must be a remnant of JARVIS’s old protocols,” Tony thought aloud. 

Natasha narrowed her eyes. “JARVIS was years ago. How long have you been involved with this kid?”

Tony waved his good hand in her direction. “A discussion for another time,” he said flatly. He had no intention of getting into that now. 

The super spy read some more from the tablet then shot Tony a look of disapproval. 

He bristled at her expression. “What? Are you of all people going to criticize me for bringing in a teenager?” 

“I’m not upset that you recruited a kid. However, I am concerned that you recruited one who is so obviously spoiled,” Natasha said. 

Tony was shocked by her words. “Spoiled? I can assure you this kid is anything but spoiled. They barely make ends meet.”

Natasha gave a small chuckle, but her expression was sad. “I don’t mean spoiled the way you would use the word - like someone who gets a lot of material things.”

“Then what did you mean?” Tony asked impatiently. 

When Natasha hesitated, Vision spoke up. “I believe Ms. Romanoff is referring to порча, a belief in Russian folklore that individuals or livestock or crops can be spoiled by someone wishing ill will upon them.”

Natasha nodded in agreement. 

Tony felt a chill run down his spine. “And what happens to these livestock or crops or individuals who are spoiled in this way?”

Vision replied. “Crops will fail to yield a harvest. Livestock may sicken or die. Cattle, for example, may fail to produce healthy quantities of milk.”

“And people?” Tony was almost afraid to ask. 

Natasha spoke up. “Individuals who are spoiled experience all varieties of misfortune, including illness, injury, and the death of those close to them.” 

Vision looked Tony in the eye and said, “In a more familiar term, they are cursed.”

Tony scowled at Vision. There were moments the android was too much like JARVIS. 

He turned to Natasha. “Is that what you think? That this kid is cursed?”

Natasha indicated the tablet she was holding, the screen was filled with text. “Have you read his file? How does all that happen to one kid if he hasn’t been spoiled?”

Tony looked away, but he could practically feel the blood draining from his face. 

Natasha gave him a puzzled look. “I'm not serious. Spoiling is just folktales. Peter obviously has had some bad luck, but his abilities are pretty impressive. He handled himself well today.”

Tony smiled a little. That was high praise from Natasha. 

She continued, “Besides, who would curse a child like that?” She pointed to the boy in question, in sleep he presented a picture of perfect innocence. 

Tony shot Vision a warning look to not say anything more. 

“Tony,” T’Challa called from the doorway. Natasha’s eyes went wide. The billionaire wondered how long he had been standing there. 

“Your Highness,” Tony turned and greeted the man in reply. 

“May I have a word with you in private?” 

Tony nodded and followed the prince down the hallway where they could talk without being overheard. T’Challa told him that Natasha had betrayed the team, had let Steve and Barnes get away. Tony didn’t want to believe it, but had to admit that explained their unlikely escape. 

“I’ve told Secretary Ross about her actions. I thought you should know,” T’Challa added. 

Tony nodded. He felt both furious and saddened by Natasha’s actions. He knew he shouldn’t take it personally. But he and Natasha had known each other a long time and he considered her a friend. And now here she was sitting with them, eating and reading up on the Damned Brat. She was acting like she had done nothing wrong. So it felt very personal. 

“Thank you for telling me.” He started to head back to the waiting room. 

“There’s something else,” T’Challa said, causing him to turn back. “It’s about the boy.”

“Do you have a problem with a teenager being here?” Tony asked defensively. 

The prince smiled. “No. I learned long ago that age does not equal ability or strength of character. You should meet my sister.” He laughed a little. “The boy has great courage and fought like a true hero.”

Tony appreciated that. “Then what about him?” His voice was calmer. 

“He is a boy with remarkable abilities who is learning to be a man. He will need much guidance from you as he travels this difficult path.”

The billionaire frowned. “I’m not his father. Or any part of his family. That’s not my job.”

“And yet you signed the Accords as his proxy. That makes you responsible for him,” T’Challa pointed out. 

“I’m not fit to be a role model or a mentor or whatever you’re thinking,” Tony protested. 

“Then you better learn how to be one. That boy is going to depend on you. Good luck,” T’Challa said as he turned and walked away. 

Tony was stunned. His best friend was seriously injured, the Avengers had fallen apart, his friends had betrayed him. And T’Challa thought he should be looking after a teenager? A kid was the last thing he needed in his life. Especially one as cursed as Peter Parker. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not thrilled with how this chapter came out, but it’s the best I can get it. I realize it’s positioned rather awkwardly between pivotal scenes in the movie, but I wanted these particular characters to interact. And I wanted to include a small tribute to Chad Boseman by having T’Challa give Tony some words of wisdom and encouragement. 
> 
> Tony has very conflicted feelings about Peter. He goes back and forth between liking the kid, feeling responsible for him, and wanting nothing to do with him. It makes Tony act like a jerk at times and he doesn’t make the best decisions. Plus, Tony has other concerns (like the Avengers falling apart) so Peter isn’t really a priority. 
> 
> Peter doesn’t know that Tony signed the Accords on his behalf. There will be consequences for that down the line.


	9. The Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After returning to New York, Tony works behind the scenes to keep Peter safe while maintaining his distance. But things never go as planned for Tony and Peter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place during Spider-Man: Homecoming. It puts a little bit of a different spin on the events of that movie. 
> 
> Sorry for the long wait between chapters. It’s been a crazy couple of months.

After Germany, after Siberia, Tony took Peter home. The boy was cheerful and excited the whole trip back. Happy grumbled at the kid and seemed constantly annoyed by him. Tony, on the other hand, found that the Damned Brat actually lifted his spirits a little after everything he had been through. He enjoyed hearing the kid prattle on about anything and everything. He wondered at the innate goodness of a child who had suffered so much. 

Even so, he knew it was a bad idea for him to personally have regular contact with the kid. Tony decided there were things he could do to help the boy, but stay at a distance. 

The first was he made it clear that all communication would go through Happy. Apparently being Head of Security for a superhero was no longer satisfying and man wanted to branch out into Asset Management. Fine, Tony decided, he could manage Peter Parker. The kid could call and text Happy to his heart’s content. Happy would update Tony on the kid’s activities when needed. 

Secondly, Tony let the Damned Brat keep the suit, of course. It was designed to keep the kid safe. The materials were durable, but flexible and offered a lot more protection than the thrift store onesie the kid had been wearing. Tony had carefully crafted the Training Wheels Protocol so additional features would be unlocked gradually as the boy grew in skills and experience. He even designed an AI to guide Peter’s development, not just as a superhero, but also to help him navigate some of the more usual teen dilemmas. 

Next was giving May and Peter some financial help. Under the guise of the Stark Internship, it was easier to relieve some of their hardship. Tony made sure the “internship” provided a small, but significant, stipend which would help cover their monthly bills. 

Then Tony remembered the pathetic furnishings of the boy’s tiny bedroom. So he arranged for a special gift of new bedroom furniture to replace the makeshift piles of plastic milk crates. The billionaire had it specially designed to be age appropriate, functional and extremely durable, considering the kid’s super strength. Happy, in his new role of Asset Manager, had been tasked with overseeing the delivery. He reported back that May Parker had been somewhat offended at first. She initially tried to decline the delivery. However, she 

relented when she saw how Peter was thrilled with the new furniture. 

Tony considered all the things he was now providing for the Damned Brat - a babysitter (Asset Manager), a technologically advanced suit with an AI, a source of income, and a comfortable environment to study and rest. The billionaire was satisfied that with these things he was adequately fulfilling the role of mentor to the kid. He didn’t need to be hands-on with the teenage superhero. The Damned Brat would be just fine. 

———————

For a couple of months, the Damned Brat was just fine. He fought street-level crime: muggings, burglaries, car thefts, assaults. He rescued lost pets and lost children. He helped elderly residents carry their groceries and gave directions to tourists. The kid had a do-gooder streak that rivaled his father’s. Tony found it both endearing and annoying. The boy left Happy long rambling reports of his crime-fighting activities. Happy complained to Tony about them. Tony was secretly amused by the whole thing. 

Spider-Man was becoming more recognized by the citizens of Queens and in general was well regarded. People cheered when they saw him. He was seen as a hero for the common people. The exception was the news editor of the Daily Bugle, but rag of a paper hated on everyone. 

Then the Damned Brat got dropped in a lake. Peter was a strong swimmer, so he probably would have been fine. Except he got wrapped up in his own parachute. It immobilized him and dragged him down into the water’s depths. The tech meant to protect his life almost got him killed. 

Tony had inwardly panicked when he got the alert from the kid’s suit. Thankfully, he was able to send a suit to pull the kid from the lake. The boy rambled something about alien weapons and going after the source. Tony sternly shut him down and told him to stick to the low-level crimes. 

Tony figured that would be enough to keep the kid in line. 

———————

It wasn’t. 

The UN had put together a committee to oversee the Accords, headed by none other than Secretary Ross himself. And the committee all knew Spider-Man’s true identity due to the paperwork Tony had completed before going to Germany. 

Ross called Tony to discuss the events at the Washington Monument. The older hero argued that Peter just happened to be there with his decathlon team. It was an emergency situation and Spider-Man had needed to act quickly. His heroism had saved the lives of several teenagers. The Committee eventually agreed. However they reminded Tony that he was responsible for the actions of the young web crawler and warned him to keep a closer eye on the boy. To be honest, there was a part Tony that was proud of the Damned Brat. 

Then the ferry incident happened. It scared the crap out of Tony. Peter had been reckless, had rushed headlong into a situation he wasn’t experienced enough to handle. The ferry had been torn apart. Innocent people could have been killed. The Damned Brat himself could have been killed. If Tony hadn’t arrived in time, it would have been disastrous. 

Extensive property damage. Civilian lives put at risk. This was exactly the type of event the Accords were supposed to prevent. The Accords allowed Spider-Man to operate independently as long as he stuck to small scale crime fighting, not things like chasing down weapons dealers and endangering the public. 

Hours after the ferry incident, Tony was back in his workshop. The billionaire stared at the Spider-Man suit he had dumped on the work table. The suit he had taken from the kid. The Damned Brat probably thought it was a punishment. And in part it was. But the bigger issue was protecting the kid from the consequences of the Accords. And if that meant he had to shut Spider-Man down, so be it. The boy was too young to be out there superheroing anyway. 

In the quiet of the workshop, he stared at the confiscated suit and thought about the confrontation on the rooftop. He reflected on the harsh words he had said to the boy. 

_ Did you know I’m the only one who believed in you? Everyone else said I was crazy to recruit a fourteen year old kid. _

That had been a blatant lie, of course. The team and the UN had been impressed with his abilities. They hadn't been overly concerned about his age. Any concerns they did have were over legal issues, not moral issues about potentially putting a teenager in danger. Tony knew his statement was not only untrue, it was manipulative, intended to make Peter doubt that anyone would accept him as a superhero. It had been a cruel and hurtful thing to say. 

_ What if somebody had died tonight? Different story, right? 'Cause that's on you.  _

Tony spent way too much time on the phone with Secretary Ross, defending the kid’s actions. Ross accepted Tony’s decision to bench Spider-Man for the foreseeable future, at least until the kid could grow up some more and learn better judgement. However if anyone on the ferry had died, the kid would probably be headed to the Raft by now. Tony shuddered at the thought. 

_ And if you died, I feel like that's on me. I don't need that on my conscience. _

The fact of the matter was that there was already too much on his conscience regarding this kid. Everything that had ever happened to the Damned Brat was his fault, a result of his curse. It weighed heavily on Tony, a responsibility he had never wanted and now couldn’t escape. 

_ It’s not working out. I’m gonna need the suit back _ . 

What had he been thinking, taking on responsibility for a teenage enhanced vigilante? He didn’t know anything about being a mentor. He didn’t know anything about dealing with a kid, especially a teenager. He was done. 

_ If you’re nothing without that suit, you shouldn’t have it. _

Tony knew that was one of the most hypocritical statements he had ever said. But he didn’t want the kid to think that his worth or his sense of purpose was tied to a suit. The boy didn’t need to be Spider-Man to do good with his life. He didn’t need the suit. It would be better for him if he learned that now. 

Maybe when the kid was all grown up and done with college Tony could reconsider letting him be Spider-Man again. Maybe the Accords would be changed by then. But right now the boy was just too young right now and it was too dangerous. The boy would be better off without Spider-Man. 

————-

Tony was working on his tablet, half paying attention to the news. The weather report just wrapped up when the next story caught his attention. 

_ “Today marks the tenth anniversary of the day a plane crash on Jones Beach killed several prominent scientists. The private plane was owned by Stark Industries and was headed for a scientific conference in London. There were no survivors.” _

Tony looked up in time to see the names and photos of those who had been killed in the crash. He frowned deeply, remembering his lost colleagues. He couldn’t believe it had been ten years. Then the reporter continued. 

_ “Richard and Mary Parker left behind a five-year old son, Peter. He’s a teenager now, a gifted student at Midtown School of Science and Technology. Recently, we caught up with Peter to get his comments about the crash.” _

The image on the screen changed to show a clip of Peter Parker. He was standing in on the steps of his school looking at the camera with a surprised expression on his face. That must have been the incident May Parker had told him about, when reporters had ambushed the boy at school. Tony was angry that the reporters had bothered the boy and now announced his name and school on television. 

_ A reporter shoved a microphone in the kid’s face. “Peter, how do you feel about the upcoming anniversary of the plane crash that killed your parents?” _

Tony rolled his eyes. He couldn’t believe how incredibly stupid that question was. 

_ Peter’s eyes went wide. “Uhm… I miss them a lot. It makes me sad to think about it.”  _

_ “Do you blame Tony Stark for their deaths?” _

_ “What? No, of course not!” Peter shook his head. “It’s not Mr. Stark’s fault.”  _

_ “But it was his plane, Peter. What has Mr. Stark done to make that up to you? What can you tell us about the settlement? Have you had any additional contact with Mr. Stark over the years?” _

_ Peter looked flustered, overwhelmed by the questions. “Uh… yeah… there was a settlement. It’s for my college fund. And… uhm… he’s sort of… checked on me from time to time over the years.”  _

Tony groaned. He knew that Ben and May had been aware that Tony low-key stalked the boy. But the fact that the Damned Brat knew was news to him. 

_ “But do you really think that’s enough to make up for the loss of your parents?” The reported persisted.  _

_ Before Peter could answer, a man ran down the school steps and moved between Peter and the reporter. From his research, Tony recognized this man as the school principal.  _

_ “You’re not supposed to be here!” The man said angrily. “Leave him alone and get out of here now!” The principal used his hand to block the camera. The video ended and the image cut back to the reporters in the studio.  _

“FRIDAY, turn it off,” Tony commanded. He didn’t need to see anymore. 

The words of the reporter echoed through his mind:  _ Do you really think that’s enough to make up for the loss of your parents?  _ Tony knew that nothing would ever make up for the loss of Peter’s parents. Or for all the other terrible things that had happened in his life. And if the kid didn’t blame Tony, that’s just because Peter didn’t know the whole truth. 

Tony had tried to make amends and his attempts had failed miserably. Guilt was a familiar companion when he thought about the Damned Brat. That would never change. 

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, and went back to working on his tablet. 

Hours later, he got a frantic phone call from Happy. “Tony, the plane… it’s crashed on the beach…”

Instantly, his mind went to the devastating events of a decade ago, the tragic loss of lives. 

“Yeah, Happy, I know. It’s been ten years,” Tony replied with annoyance. He didn’t need Happy calling to remind him of the event. 

“No, not that plane. The one with all the Avengers tech in it, for Moving Day.”

“What do you mean it crashed?” Tony demanded. 

“That flying vulture guy the kid talked about. He hijacked the plane and tried to steal everything on board. The kid stopped him! Spider-Man stopped him! But the plane crashed on the beach at Coney Island.”

Tony couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I’m on my way.”

In ten years, Tony had never once visited the crash site on Jones beach. Not in the days following the accident. Not when the memorial was dedicated. Not on any of the anniversaries. So it seemed completely surreal that on the tenth anniversary of that crash, he was standing on a totally different beach surveying the wreckage of another Stark Industries plane. 

The remains of the plane itself were still smoldering, with small flames that slowly died out. The cargo was completely intact, gathered into piles, and secured with webs. The Vulture guy himself was also webbed up. He was bruised and had minor burns, but was otherwise unharmed. 

“Where’s the kid?” Tony asked Happy. 

Happy pointed to the top of the nearby roller coaster. “He was up there. I saw him watching over everything. He took off just after you pulled up.” 

Tony sighed. He hoped the Damned Brat was alright. 

————-

Amazingly, it turned out that the mess on Coney Island wasn’t a big problem for the Accords Committee. The Damned Brat had managed to bring the plane down on an empty stretch of beach, avoiding the amusement park and neighborhood nearby. Which meant there had been no real property damage or risk to civilian lives. The beach itself was going to need cleanup, but Tony would easily oversee that effort and cover the costs. 

Because the plane had been carrying Avengers equipment and tech, the Committee determined that the theft was an Avengers matter. As long as Ross was convinced that Peter was acting on behalf of the Avengers, there would be no problem with the Accords. But if the kid acted on his own, that would be a big problem. Ross gave Tony an ultimatum: either make Spider-Man an Avenger or shut him down completely. 

“And if I do neither of those?” Tony challenged. 

“Then I’ll have him brought in. Independent vigilantes can’t be controlled. They aren’t supposed to interfere with Avengers’ business,” Ross replied gruffly. 

“You would send him the Raft for saving a plane load of Avengers tech? He’s just a kid! Do you realize what would have happened if that Vulture guy had gotten away with all that?” Tony was livid. 

“I do. And I’m grateful Spider-Man stopped him,” Ross admitted. “Look, we’ve made some allowances for the boy in the past. But we can’t change the Accords just for one underaged hero.”

“The Raft is no place for a child,” Tony said angrily. 

Ross seemed to consider that for a minute. “That’s true. Maybe it would be better to hand him over to SHIELD’s research division for testing and study.”

Tony shuddered at the possibility of the Damned Brat being turned into some kind of test subject. “No. That’s not happening,” he said fiercely. 

Ross chuckled. “Then you know your options. Make Spider-Man an Avenger or shut him down.” 

Ross hung up before the billionaire could respond. 

Tony pondered the matter for a while. It was obvious the Damned Brat was not going to give up being Spider-Man, whether he had Tony’s support or not. Tony had been an idiot to think that taking the fancy suit would stop him. He realized the only resolution was to make the kid a full-fledged Avenger. By moving him to the Compound, Tony would be able to keep better tabs on the teen. He could set limits on Spider-Man’s activities and monitor him more closely. He could even give the kid more training and work with him on tech. The Compound was too far from the city for Peter to stay at his school. They would have to enroll him in virtual school or something. But that could be worked out. 

Tony was sure that Peter would jump at the chance to join the Avengers, especially when he saw the new Iron Spider suit. Tony himself had to admit that the suit was both a technological wonder and a work of art. So it was a complete shock when the Damned Brat stammered his way through a refusal. Tony couldn’t believe it. The kid looked at the new suit, looked at the older hero, and turned him down. 

Peter had no idea that Tony had signed the Accords for him, that the Committee itself was making demands about the boy. Sure, he could tell the boy now. He could force Peter to join the Avengers and move to the Compound. He could take the teen away from his guardian, his school, and his friends. He could take away the kid’s right to choose this for himself. But that would completely upend Peter’s life and when Tony looked into the boy’s eyes he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. 

Instead, Tony maintained his calm, unflappable persona. He shrugged off the kid’s decision as if it had no real consequence. He even played it off as a test.

Happy didn’t seem surprised with the Damned Brat’s decision. He even seemed pleased by it. “I told you he’s a good kid,” the man remarked. Despite himself, Tony had to agree as he watched the kid go. 

Ross called later that evening. “Congratulations on your engagement, Stark. But that’s not the announcement I was expecting. Is Spider-Man an Avenger or not?”

“He is,” Tony spun a convincing lie. “But because of his age, we’re keeping it quiet. And we decided that he’s not moving to the Compound yet so he can stay at his school.”

“But he’s fully authorized for Avengers missions?” Ross asked. 

“Yes,” Tony replied, even while thinking that there was no way he was bringing Spider-Man on another mission. 

“And you’ve made the necessary arrangements with his guardian?” 

“Of course. She’s in complete agreement with everything.” Another blatant lie. May Parker still had no idea about her nephew’s alter ego and would never agree to any of this. 

There was silence for a moment. “Alright. I’ll talk to the Committee, but I think we can accept that,” Ross said finally. 

Tony disconnected the call and tossed the phone away. That familiar feeling of guilt in his stomach shifted to a feeling of dread. He regretted signing the Accords. He regretted bringing the kid into this. And now he felt like he had just managed to mess up the Damned Brat’s life even more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize some readers might think it’s odd that Peter would go to a Homecoming dance on the anniversary of his parents’ deaths. That’s something Peter and Tony will talk about in a future chapter. The short version is that May convinced him it was okay. I just really wanted the timing to work out that way to give Tony more angst and guilt. :)
> 
> Coming in the next chapter: May finds out that Peter is Spider-Man!


	10. The Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> May discovers that Peter is Spider-Man and has a lot to say to Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place after Spider-Man: Homecoming.

“I have a call from May Parker,” Happy’s voice was strained. “She’s demanding to talk to you.”

Tony grinned. “I’d be happy to talk to the lovely Mrs. Parker. Put her through.”

There was a quiet click as the call was connected. 

“Hello, May. What can I do for you?” He turned on the charm. 

“You can tell me why my nephew has been running around Queens fighting crime!” She sounded livid. 

“So he finally told you,” Tony guessed. 

“No, he did not tell me! I found him in his room wearing that ridiculous suit that you gave him.

Tony was a little offended by the remark. “It is not a ridiculous suit. It is a multi-million dollar suit specially designed to…”

“Stark, you have thirty minutes to get over here and explain to me what the hell has been going on or I will call the police and have you arrested for child endangerment.” 

Tony sighed. “I’m on my way.”

—————-

An angry looking May Parker opened the door immediately when he knocked. She wordlessly let him in and led him into the living room. 

The Spider-Man suit was laid out on the coffee table. Peter, wide-eyed and pale, stood on the other side of the room. 

“What’s going on, kid?” Tony asked. 

May didn’t give the teen a chance to reply. 

“Do you want to explain this?” May gestured to the suit. “At first he tried to tell me it was a Halloween costume. And I almost believed that, but then I tried on the mask and some woman spoke to me.”

“That’s Karen,” Peter supplied. 

“So you said,” May replied to her nephew. Then she turned to Tony. “Explain.”

“Oh, Karen is an AI. That’s artificial intelligence. She’s like a very sophisticated computer. She…”

“Don’t talk down to me, Stark! I may not be a genius scientist, but I know what artificial intelligence is.” May spoke impatiently. 

Tony nodded. “Sorry.”

“Explain what is going on here,” she said slowly in a low voice. 

“Your nephew is Spider-Man,” Tony said matter-of-factly. 

“Yeah, he told me that. He admitted to me that he has been sneaking out at night to fight criminals.”

“So you understand that he’s enhanced? Super strength, super agility and dexterity. Fast healing. He can climb walls. And all his senses are super sensitive.”

“I told her all that,” Peter confirmed. 

May glared at Tony. “I want to know what your involvement is, Stark.”

“I didn’t cause him to do this. That’s all him. I was trying to help him by giving him the best protection I could. This suit is state of the art. It has safety protocols. It has all the best Stark technology…” 

“Just like the plane full of Stark technology that killed his parents?” May asked bluntly. 

Tony felt all the air leave his lungs. 

Peter spoke up quickly. “May, that’s not fair. That wasn’t his fault.” 

“But it was a plane full of his technology,” May pointed out. “And your parents are gone because of it.”

“The plane was sabotaged. You know that…” Peter’s voice had just the slightest waiver. 

“Yes, I do,” May said firmly. She turned to Tony. “Can you promise me that no one could ever sabotage this suit? No one could ever hack the AI or any of the other high-tech features to disable the safety protocols or even use the suit against Peter?”

Tony shook his head. “That’s not going to happen. The chances of something like that are highly unlikely…”

“But not impossible,” May pointed out. 

“May, please stop,” Peter said pleadingly. 

“No, Peter! This is your safety he’s gambling with.”

“It’s not impossible,” Tony reluctantly agreed. Then he added, “Although, the person most likely to hack the suit and mess with the protocols is Peter himself.”

May’s angry expression gave way to confusion. “What do you mean?”

“He previously removed the tracker and hacked the programming to bypass some of the safety protocols. I’ve restored all that, by the way.” Tony was honest about it, not really concerned that he ratted the kid out. 

She turned back to the boy. “You did that?” 

Peter nodded. “I had to. Those guys were dealing dangerous weapons. I had to stop them. I did stop them. And I did it without that suit. I would do it again if I needed to.” His determination showed in his voice. 

May sighed. “I know you would. That’s what makes this so hard. I’ve seen the good things Spider-Man does. Even so, I wish I could tell you to stop being Spider-Man, but I don’t think that would actually work.”

“It wouldn’t,” Peter said firmly. “I can’t _not_ be Spider-Man. I have the power to help people, so I have a responsibility to do that.” 

It was evident to both adults how strongly the boy believed that. 

Tony spoke up again, “He’s safer doing it with this suit than without it.”

“Yeah,” May said a little wearily. “I can see that.” She turned to the teen. “No more hacking into the suit or messing with the tracker. You hear me?”

The Damned Brat nodded, as he looked from one adult to the other. 

Tony smiled. That all seemed settled more easily than he had expected. “So we’re good here?” 

“No we are not good here.” May said firmly. “We have another issue to discuss.”

Tony was at a loss as to what else she could be upset about. “Which is what?”

“Spider-Man was at that fight in Germany. I saw the report on the news.”

“Yes, he was,” the older hero admitted. There was no point in denying it. 

“You took my nephew to Germany without my permission. That’s kidnapping, Stark!” May’s anger flared again. 

“No, it wasn’t,” Tony replied calmly.

May wasn’t going to back down. “It was. I could have you arrested and brought up on charges!”

Tony sighed. This woman seemed determined to have him arrested. First child endangerment and now kidnapping. 

Peter tried to intervene. “May, don’t…” 

Tony silenced the boy with a gesture, then said to the woman, “I didn’t need your permission. I had authority from the United Nations and the US Secretary of State.”

That stunned May, “What? And they can override me?” 

Tony nodded. “Simply, yes, when it comes to matters of Spider-Man as an enhanced human.” 

She stared at him for a minute. “How so?”

Tony breathed deeply. “As an enhanced individual, meaning someone with powers, Peter is subject to the Sokovian Accords. But as a minor he was unable to sign for himself and needed an adult Avenger to sign for him.”

“You signed for him,” May guessed. 

“I did. And in doing so, I became legally responsible for him.”

“What?” Peter asked in surprise. This was news to him. 

“I’m his legal guardian,” May protested. 

Tony nodded. “You are the guardian of Peter Parker. But in a way, I’m the guardian of Spider-Man. Think of it sort of like shared custody.” He gave a false smile. 

May looked at Tony like he had just grown two heads. “You can’t separate him out like that. He’s not two different people. If something happens to Spider-Man, it happens to Peter Parker.”

“Wait a minute,” Peter interrupted their argument. “Do you mean the government knows that I’m Spider-Man?”

Tony looked over at the Damned Brat. “Sorry, kid. It was necessary.” He did feel a little bad about it.

Peter shook his head. “Not cool.”

“Your identity’s classified. Top Secret. If that makes you feel any better about it,” Tony offered. 

The teen seemed to consider that. “Okay, that’s kinda cool,” he relented. 

May looked at the boy thoughtfully, then quickly grabbed her purse from the end table. After rifling through it for a moment, she handed Peter some cash. 

“Go to Delmar’s and get us some sandwiches.”

“What, now?” Peter asked incredulously.

“Yes, I want to talk to Tony privately.” She turned to the man. “He has enhanced hearing, right? Delmar’s is six blocks away. Is that far enough?”

Tony nodded. He hadn’t tested the kid’s hearing, but he guessed it would be enough. 

“You want to talk about me without me here? That’s not fair,” Peter protested. 

“The adults need to talk,” May said firmly, with a tone that shut down further argument. “Go get sandwiches. Walk at a normal pace. No super speed. Text me when you’re on your way back.”

Peter reluctantly grabbed his jacket and pulled it on. 

“Get our usuals. Get Tony a number four,” May suggested. 

Peter nodded but scowled, obviously unhappy.

He was halfway out the apartment door when May called out. “Peter, get some chips too.”

At that, Peter’s face lit up. “Thanks, May!” He bounced a little as he stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him. 

May chuckled. She turned to Tony. “We don’t get chips very often, so it’s a special treat for him,” she explained as she moved towards the window and pushed the curtain aside. 

Tony frowned, trying to think about being on a budget so restrictive that a bag of potato chips was something special. He watched her watch out the window for a few minutes. He assumed she could see the boy until he turned the corner. 

Then she dropped the curtain and took a seat on the couch. He sat as well and waited patiently while she collected her thoughts. He didn’t want to show that he was worried about the conversation. 

Finally she looked at Tony and leaned forward slightly. “What I want to know, what I _need_ to know, is how do you really feel about being legally responsible for a child you never approved of?”

“What do you mean?” Tony asked cautiously. Certainly May didn’t know how he had cursed the Damned Brat. 

May gave him a stern look. “I know you told Mary she should have gotten an abortion…”

“I can’t believe Mary told you that,” Tony remarked with a shake of his head. 

“Mary and I were sisters-in-law. But she was like a real sister to me. Maybe because she and I were both only children and we were both jealous of what Ben and Richard had. Anyway, we got to be very close. We told each other everything.”

“I shouldn’t have said that. I was stupid and drunk and…” he faltered a little. 

“And you wanted Mary for yourself?” May continued for him. 

“Yeah. But she was in love with Richard, so that was never going to happen. I was just too wrapped up in myself to realize that,” Tony said a little regretfully. It was amazing how the years had changed his perception of things. 

“You hated Richard. Tell me that you don’t think about that when you look at Peter,” May insisted. 

Tony couldn't deny it. “Sometimes I do,” he admitted shamefully. “But every so often I look at him and remember how much I admired Mary.” 

May persisted in her questioning. “So knowing all that, how am I supposed to trust you to keep their son safe? This is a child you thought shouldn’t have been born. How can I know if you even care about keeping him alive now?” May’s voice was more worried than accusing. 

Tony was grateful that May waited patiently while he gathered his thoughts. He needed to explain things without admitting the guilt he felt for cursing a baby. 

“I… I didn’t react well when Mary told me about the pregnancy. I didn’t like the idea of them having a baby,” Tony admitted quietly. “I avoided them after that. But then Mary and Richard died and I felt terrible about everything. I’ve tried to help him over the years. He’s a good kid. I want him to be safe. I want to help him. It’s not his fault who his parents were. But at the same time, I can’t forget who his parents were.”

Tony didn’t know what else to say or how to explain his complicated feelings toward the Damned Brat. 

They were both quiet for a long moment. 

May sighed deeply. “Ben and I didn’t want children.”

Tony was startled by the change of topic. “What?”

“We didn’t want to have kids. We had all these things we wanted to do, travel and adventures. We knew we couldn’t afford to do that with kids. And neither of us felt any urge to raise a child. So we weren’t going to have any.”

“But why did you agree to take Peter?” Tony asked. 

“There was no one else. I mean, we could have sent him to foster care. Maybe he would have found a good family who would love him. We thought about it. But we couldn’t really do that. Peter was family, our family. So we put aside everything we thought we had wanted and we raised a kid instead. And Peter turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to us.” 

May gave the billionaire a sad smile. 

“What I’m saying is, I know what it’s like to take responsibility for a child when you never wanted that, never planned for it. It’s really hard,” She sounded sympathetic. 

“Yeah,” Tony agreed. “But where does that leave us?”

“I never planned to be a parent. I certainly never planned to act as a single parent to a superpowered teenager. I need help. I’m in over my head with this.” She gestured toward the Spider-Man suit. Tony understood that she meant more than just the suit itself, she meant everything that came with it. 

“What do you want from me?” Tony asked sincerely. 

May looked him in the eye. “If you are serious about being legally responsible for him, you need to step up. You can’t just give him a suit. You have to teach him how to be a superhero. Train him in how to fight and how to protect himself while he’s protecting others. And you have to be there for him when he gets hurt or discouraged.”

Tony thought about it. “Okay, I think I can do that.”

But May wasn’t done. “But you can’t just support him as Spider-Man. You need to be there for Peter Parker too. You have to get to know Peter. Spend time with him. Make the internship a real thing, not just a cover for fighting crime. You want shared custody, you live up to it.” 

Tony let out a deep breath. She might be asking too much now. “And if I don’t agree to all that? What do you think you can do?”

“Then I’ll contact the UN and the Secretary of State and tell them that you had no business signing for a minor. And after that I will get another superhero to mentor him. I’ll find that guy from Hell’s Kitchen or I’ll contact the King of Wakanda. I’ll track down Captain America himself if I have to.” 

Those all sounded like impossible tasks. And yet Tony did not doubt the woman in the slightest. It was time for him to make a big decision, one that could possibly change his life. 

“There’s no need to do all that. I will mentor him, as Spider-Man and Peter Parker,” Tony assured her. 

May smiled at him. “Good.”

She glanced at her phone. “Peter’s on his way back. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled when you tell him our new plan. We should start on Monday, don’t you think?”

Tony gave her a faint smile. What had he just gotten himself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the kudos snd comments. Even when I don’t answer the comments, I love them all. 
> 
> The next chapter will see how the internship changes Tony and Peter’s relationship.


	11. The Internship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter starts his internship with Tony and spends his first weekend at the Avengers Compound.

“Are you nervous?” Pepper asked in amusement while Tony paced the foyer of the Avengers Compound’s main entrance. The billionaire glanced at his watch yet again. 

“No, why would I be nervous?” Tony denied the obvious truth. 

Pepper laughed. “You’ll be fine. I’m sure you and Peter will have a great time this weekend. I have some paperwork to review, but I’ll catch up with you guys later.” She kissed him lightly and went off to take care of work. 

Tony and May had agreed that Peter would work with Tony after school two days a week at Stark Tower. The sale of the building had fallen through, so Tony kept it as the headquarters of Stark Industries and his residence in the City. But most of the Avengers related activities had been moved to the Compound upstate. 

Twice a month, Peter would stay at the Compound for the weekend, for training and to bond with his new mentor. 

They had already had several sessions at the Tower and were getting to know each other. Tony was impressed with what the kid knew and how quickly he learned new concepts. He was reluctant to admit to himself that he actually enjoyed working with the Damned Brat. 

This would be Peter’s first weekend at the Compound. In the future, Happy would pick him up after school on Friday and drive him back to Queens on Sunday afternoon. But for this first visit, May insisted on bringing Peter herself, so she could get a look at the place where her nephew would be spending so much time. Something about that made Tony feel anxious, like he had to give her a good impression of the facilities. 

Finally, they arrived and Tony did his best to make it look like he hadn’t been just standing around waiting for them. He quickly pulled out his phone and sat in the nearest armchair.

He looked up casually as the Parkers walked in and Peter excitedly called out, “Hi, Mr. Stark!” He has his backpack slung over his shoulder. 

“Oh, you’re here already?” Tony said with forced nonchalance. 

“Welcome to the Avengers Compound, Mrs. Parker. Welcome back, Peter,” a voice from the ceiling announced. 

“Who’s that?” May asked, looking around. 

“That’s FRIDAY,” Tony replied with a slight smirk. 

“Oh, yes. Another AI. Peter told me. I thought FRIDAY was just in Stark Tower. Is it here too?”

“ _She_ is here too,” Tony corrected. “She’s here, in the tower, in my Iron Man suits… she’s wherever I need her to be.”

May nodded, despite looking unsure of the whole thing. “Well, that certainly sounds… convenient.”

Tony smiled. “It is. Shall I give you a tour of the place?”

He gave them a grand tour of the compound. He started with his workshops and labs. Then there was the medical bay, which May inspected carefully after reminding Tony that she was an experienced nurse. He showed them the various training facilities, with its multiple gyms, parkour course, pool, and track. He showed them the recreation area, which was located in the Compound’s basement. This space included a cinema, bowling alley, game rooms, and library. He even briefly showed them the Avengers and SHIELD workspaces, with its offices, conference rooms, holding cells, and interrogation rooms. 

Peter was excited about everything. He asked a million enthusiastic questions about how things worked. He couldn’t wait to try everything out, except the medbay of course. May was more subdued. She asked a lot of questions about safety precautions and security. Tony answered them both as patiently as he could. 

Pepper joined them just as they started to see the living quarters. Tony showed off the Avengers large living room, kitchen and dining rooms. Then he led them down the hallway where each team member had their private quarters and pointed out each one.

Toward the end of the hall, Tony pointed out a door with a subtle spider motif. “Here’s Peter’s room.” He opened the door and stepped aside, allowing Peter and May to enter. 

The room was large, with a lot of natural lighting. It was decorated in soothing grays and blues, with red accents. The room had a large bed, a television, plenty of storage for clothes, and a workspace with a desk and bookshelves. 

“This is great!” Peter gushed as he took everything in. “Look May, there’s a space for my projects and everything!”

May smiled at the teen. “It’s very nice.” 

Pepper started pointing out to the boy some of the finer details of the decor as he explored the room. 

May stood in the doorway and gazed back down the hallway. “Why is it so empty here?” she asked Tony. 

The billionaire sighed. “Well, the rogue Avengers are on the run. Thor is off world. Banner is missing, off the grid or something. Rhodey’s here a lot. He’s in DC this week, maybe this month… I don’t remember which. Vision’s room is right next door. He’s usually here, but I’m not sure where he is right now because he kinda comes and goes.”

May turned to Tony. “Where is your room? I didn’t see it as we came down the hall.”

“Oh, my private quarters are in another wing,” Tony replied. 

“You don’t stay with the team?” May asked in surprise. 

“Ah, no. One of the benefits of owning the whole place, Pepper and I get to have our own private living area.” Tony gave her his press-worthy grin. 

“So, Peter will be in this part of the building by himself? Unsupervised?” May asked sharply. 

The harshness in her voice took Tony by surprise. “Not completely unsupervised. FRIDAY always monitors things.” 

May folded her arms over her chest. “Not acceptable. What happens when Vision and Colonel Rhodes aren’t here and Peter hacks FRIDAY?”

“He couldn’t hack...,” Tony started, then realized it was entirely possible that the Damned Brat could hack FRIDAY if he tried hard enough. 

“May, it’s fine…” Peter told her. 

She didn’t answer her nephew, instead kept her focus on Tony. “Do you understand what it means to be responsible for a child?” May asked. 

Pepper spoke up, “May’s right. There’s a guest room next to ours that would be perfect for Peter. We could set that up for him” 

May smiled. “That would be great.”

Pepper gave the other woman a conciliatory smile. “I’m sorry, May. We should have thought about that.”

Tony frowned, but ultimately agreed with his fiancé. It probably was a bad idea to leave the Damned Brat alone in the Avengers wing. Who knows what kind of trouble he would get into. 

Pepper led the way to their private wing, chatting with May the whole time, and putting her more at ease. Tony and Pepper's space had a more contemporary design, with streamlined furniture in a minimalist palette. Everything looked very new and well-maintained. 

Pepper led them to the guest room next to the master bedroom. “I think this will work nicely for Peter,” she said. 

It was a large room with a generous closet and it’s own bathroom. Everything had the same sleek design as the rest of the quarters. The boy’s eyes went wide as he took it all in. 

“We’ll have it redecorated and get new furniture, of course,” Tony said, realizing the room wasn’t really set up for a teenager. 

May smiled approvingly, “This will do. Thank you.”

Once May was satisfied with the room arrangements, Pepper went to get things started on redecorating while Tony and Peter walked May out. 

When they returned to the foyer, May turned to Tony. “Before I go, we need to set up some ground rules.”

Peter groaned, but both adults ignored him. 

“Of course,” Tony agreed quickly. “The rules are... uhm… what did you have in mind?” he asked May, as he realized he was totally unprepared to set rules. 

May chuckled. “To start with, I think no using the workshop or the research labs without adult supervision.”

“No. That’s not necessary!” Peter protested. 

“It looked like there were some dangerous materials in there,” May insisted. 

Tony nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, that’s probably a good idea.”

“May, come on…” Peter pleaded, as if it were ultimately her decision who Tony let in his workspace. 

“I’m sure you’ll find something else to keep you occupied if Tony is busy,” May said firmly. 

Peter huffed, but then gave May a wry smile. “Yeah.” The two Parkers shared a look Tony couldn’t interpret. 

“And no working out without an adult either,” May added. Tony nodded to that as well. 

“Why would I need an adult to run the treadmill or use the elliptical?” Peter sounded annoyed. 

“He’s got a point,” Tony said. “How about he can use the cardio equipment alone - FRIDAY will be monitoring of course. But no swimming alone - that’s a rule for everyone. And no strength training without a spotter.”

“You have a spotter here who can lift more than me?” Peter snarked. 

Tony and May exchanged a look. Despite the teen’s tone, it was a valid question. 

Thinking out loud, Tony said, “Vision might. I might if I use the suit gauntlet. We’ll need to test that out.” 

May seemed satisfied with that. “We passed the shooting range when you gave us the tour. No firearms training.” Her voice was firm. 

“Sure. Not until he’s at least eighteen,” Tony agreed. 

“Make sure he gets his homework done. And remember to feed him. Don’t let him go without meals.” 

“Of course.” Tony figured those things shouldn’t be too hard. 

May smiled at both of them. “I think that’s enough for now.” She gave Peter a big hug and a kiss on his forehead. 

As she prepared to leave, she turned back to Tony. “Just watch out for him, okay? He’s a good kid, but it’s like he’s cursed with bad luck.” 

Tony’s stomach dropped and for a moment he stopped breathing. She couldn’t possibly know about the curse. Could she?

Peter just rolled his eyes and laughed. “Bye May. See you on Sunday!”

With a wave to each of them, she was gone. 

“I think she’s starting to like you, Mr. Stark,” Peter remarked with a smirk. 

“Why wouldn’t she?” Tony replied automatically as he recovered from his earlier shock. “Wait, you mean she didn’t like me before?” 

Peter snorted a laugh. “The first time you came over she made you her walnut date loaf. She doesn’t do that to people she likes.”

Tony remembered the horrible taste of the walnut date loaf. “It’s bad on purpose?” 

The amusement on the boy’s face answered him. Then Peter asked, “So, what are we doing first? Can we go to the workshop? Or maybe the parkour course? Or swimming?”

Tony could help but delight in the Damned Brat’s energy. “We’ll get to everything, I’m sure.”

They ended up spending the afternoon in the training facility, where Tony started testing Peter’s strength as well as his endurance on the cardio equipment. Then they had dinner. Afterwards, Peter worked on his homework while Tony read the latest reports from SI’s R&D department. They finished the night with some television and then Tony sent Peter to bed. The kid seemed pretty tired, so the man figured the teen was done for the night. All in all, he considered it a successful start to their first weekend together. 

——————

Tony woke up suddenly, startled out of a nightmare. He glanced at the clock on the bedside table. 3:14 AM. The images of the nightmare were fading, but the feelings of fear and anxiety lingered. Tony knew he wouldn’t get back to sleep. Pepper stirred slightly in her sleep, as Tony got out of bed, but she didn’t wake. 

Tony quietly left the bedroom to make some coffee. As he passed the guest room - _Peter’s room_ \- he was surprised to see the door open and the room empty. Great, now he was going to have to find the Damned Brat. But first, coffee. 

When Tony entered the kitchen, he discovered Peter sitting at the kitchen table in his pajamas, his hair a mess. The kid was working on his disassembled web shooters, consulting his notebook as he did so. 

The man watched the boy as the coffee brewed. He noticed an empty cereal bowl and spoon in the sink, a box of Cheerios on the counter. When the coffee was ready, he poured a cup and then asked, “What are you doing?”

Peter didn’t look up from his work. “I had an idea to improve the firing range of my web shooters. Since I can’t get into the workshop without an adult, I thought this was the next best place to work on them.”

Moving to look over the Damned Brat’s shoulder, Tony studied the schematic drawing sketched out in the notebook. The redesign was impressive. 

“Where did you get the extra wiring and other stuff you needed?” 

Peter waved a hand towards the kitchen counter. Looking there, Tony saw the toaster was in pieces. He sighed. “I guess that means we’re not having toast with breakfast.”

Then Peter did look up. He chuckled. “Actually, I took the toaster from the Avengers’ kitchen. You said no one was there, so I figured they wouldn’t miss it.”

Tony laughed outright at that. “Good thinking, kid.”

“That is the fanciest toaster I’ve ever seen, Mr. Stark,” Peter remarked, in a tone that was both amused and impressed. “Touch screen. Wifi. Advanced sensors. It’s crazy.”

“Of course it is. What else would you expect?” Tony replied. He sipped his coffee. “Why aren’t you asleep?”

Peter shrugged then went back to working on the web shooters. “I woke up.”

“Yeah, I figured that. Why? Something wrong with your room?”

“No, I just don’t sleep a lot,” Peter said a little tensely. 

Tony frowned. The Damned Brat was too young to have sleeping problems. “Since when?” He asked softly. 

Peter shrugged again. “Since I was five,” he admitted. 

_Since his parents died_ , Tony realized. He suddenly understood why May hadn’t wanted the boy to be alone in the Avengers’ wing at night. He also remembered May’s comment that the kid was cursed with bad luck. He wanted to ask Peter about that, but just couldn’t bring himself to do it. He felt the familiar weight of guilt in his stomach. 

He sighed heavily, unsure of what to say. He should say something comforting. Instead, he asked, “Do you do this at home? Get up in the middle of the night and take apart kitchen appliances?”

Peter laughed a little. “I used to when I was younger. Now I build stuff from the parts I scavenge.”

“You mean what you find dumpster diving?”

“Yeah.” Peter reassembled the web shooters. Tony picked one up and looked at it. 

“Nice work. But no more working on stuff like this at the kitchen table. That's what the workshop is for in the morning. If you can’t sleep, there are plenty of things in the recreation area to keep you occupied.” His voice had a slightly reprimanding tone, but no real anger. 

Peter scowled, but nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Tony finished his coffee and put his mug in the sink. “Come on, let’s go watch a movie.” He pulled the boy out of his chair and led him down to the cinema. “And new ground rule: _never_ take apart my coffee makers.” 

Peter chuckled. “I’ll try to remember that.”

———————

The next day, Tony was determined to wear the Damned Brat out so he would sleep through the night. If he was really lucky, they both would.

They went to the workshop, to refine and test Peter’s improvements on his web shooters. Then Tony had him try them on the parkour course, which included arial features that he could swing on, as well as targets he could web up. The redesigned web shooters worked perfectly. 

In the afternoon, Tony decided to teach the kid racquetball. Peter learned quickly. In fact, the Damned Brat was a natural at it, thanks to his enhancements. After all their activity, Tony was exhausted while Peter was barely winded. 

He changed tactics, deciding that tiring out Peter’s mind was as important as tiring his body. He had the boy finish his homework. Then he gave the kid several complex equations to solve. The Damned Brat worked through all of them, which made Tony feel both surprised and proud of the kid. 

In the evening, they swam. First they did laps, which became a friendly race. Then Peter decided to try the diving platform. Tony watched nervously while Peter performed flips and twists, similar to the acrobatics he did while swinging. Still, he clapped and cheered for each of the teen’s stunts. 

When bedtime came, Peter was thoroughly tired. Tony felt triumphant as he told the boy goodnight and sent him to his room. Soon after, Tony settled into his own bed for what would hopefully be a solid, peaceful sleep. 

——————-

Tony woke to Pepper shaking his shoulder and calling his name. He sat up suddenly, almost crashing into her. His heart was pounding and could barely catch his breath. 

“You were having a nightmare, honey,” Pepper told him. “You were shouting and thrashing around.”

Tony nodded, acknowledging her explanation. As usual, the images of the nightmare faded, but he was still anxious and on edge. He swung his legs over the side of the bed. The glowing numbers on the clock read 4:12 AM. 

Pepper yawned and Tony felt bad for waking her. “Go back to sleep. I’m just going to get something to drink.”

The woman mumbled something incoherently and laid back down. Tony envied her ability to fall back asleep so quickly. 

Leaving the bedroom, he saw that once again Peter’s room was open and empty. So much for his attempts to wear the Damned Brat out. He was surprised to find the kitchen also empty. There was evidence that Peter had been there: a plate and fork in the sink and an unfinished cup of milk on the counter. 

“FRIDAY, where’s Peter?” 

“Peter is in the bowling alley, Boss,” The AI replied. 

That was surprising. Tony had told the kid to explore the recreation area if he couldn’t sleep. But he had expected the kid to use the cinema or the library, maybe even the arcade. But apparently, the kid had decided to go bowling. 

While growing up, Tony had been taught all the sports that were considered appropriate for a young man of great wealth. Those included golfing, tennis, horseback riding, skiing, and auto racing. Bowling hadn’t been on that list and his father considered it to be an activity of the lower classes. But then he had gone to college and met Rhodey. His new friend enjoyed bowling and dragged Tony out to play the game frequently. And so Tony had learned to appreciate the sport. When the Avengers were formed, they found bowling to be one of the few recreational activities they were all familiar with, resulting in many friendly competitions. So of course, when Tony designed the Avengers Compound, he included a small fully-equipped bowling alley. 

After having some coffee, Tony headed downstairs to the bowling alley. The place was quiet when he entered and appeared to be empty. And yet FRIDAY confirmed that Peter was there. 

“Kid? Are you in here?” he called out. 

“Hey, Mr. Stark!” came the reply, as Peter appeared from behind the pinsetter at the end of the first lane. He was still in his pajamas and bare feet. 

Tony carefully walked down the gutter to the end of the lane. “What are you doing, kid?”

A quick look around gave Tony his answer. The pinsetter was disassembled, with parts scattered across the pin deck. From the look of things, the kid had been down here for hours. 

He sighed heavily. “Why are you taking apart my bowling alley?”

Peter smiled brightly. “I always wanted to see how one worked. And you said I should come down here to the recreation area if I couldn’t sleep.”

“I meant that you should watch a movie or read a book or play video games! Not that you should disassemble my expensive equipment.”

“Oh. I’m sorry,” Peter said quietly. “I’ll put it back together.” 

Tony immediately felt bad for raising his voice. “Were you done? Or are you still learning how it works?”

“I figured it out. But I was planning to rebuild it differently, try out a couple of improvements. I was also going to redesign the ball return,” Peter gave him a small smile. 

Tony couldn’t help but chuckle at that. The Damned Brat was a kid after his own heart, always looking to take things apart and improve how they worked. These days, Tony generally confined his tinkering to the workshops and labs. But Peter had no such boundaries. To him, the world was one big workshop. 

“Okay, you can have this one lane to experiment with. But you leave the others alone.” He tried to sound strict, but came across more as amused and affectionate. 

Peter’s face lit up. “Thanks, Mr. Stark!”

“Alright, now tell me about these improvements you want to try.”

————-

Tony was almost disappointed Peter went back to Queens. The Compound suddenly seemed quiet and lonely without the kid. He had learned a lot about the boy over the weekend. He had already known the kid was a genius. But over the weekend, he had seen more of Peter’s personality. Tony consoled himself by remembering that in a couple days he would see Peter at the Tower. Tony had several new ideas about what they could work on during internship days. He was excited just thinking about it. 

That sudden realization stopped him short. He was excited about spending time with the Damned Brat. _What the hell was happening?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> The next chapter will continue to develop Tony and Peter’s mentor- protégé relationship, as well as explore some of Peter’s perspective on their situation.


End file.
